


LJ's Interview with a Campfire

by PerkyGoth14



Category: Rugrats & All Grown Up! (Cartoons)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-26 15:22:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18284993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerkyGoth14/pseuds/PerkyGoth14
Summary: LJ, Zofia, and David are going to Camp Everwood with their friends which seems to have secrets and legends to it such as a Zombie Moon with a mysterious kid by the name of Bean who is more than he appears to be. While there, the Rats gang attempts to do their own thing, such as Tommy making a horror movie in this brand new camping adventure. Coming up next: the series finale.





	1. Chapter 1

Within LJ's dream world, his alter-ego, Leo Quad, kick-butt martial arts superstar, was keeping a constant vigil over his hometown of Kenkichi City, until he spotted someone racing through the streets. It was a girl who looked just like Kimberly, except she had her hair done up in a long ponytail with a pink bow on her head resembling a pair of cat ears, and four purple lines on her face that resembled whiskers. She also wore a pair of glasses, a white and lavender dress with pink tights, light purple sneakers, a cat bell on her neck, and cat paw-like gloves.

Leo tugged at his shirt collar. "Whoa...what's this crazy feeling in my stomach...?" he wondered.

"Hi, there," The girl smirked to him slightly. "You must be new around here."

"M-More or less," Leo remarked, trying to keep his cool, even though his face was red as a ripe tomato. "N-Name's Leo Quad...I'm a resident helper-out-er around these parts..."

"So I see..." The girl replied.

"And you are...?" Leo asked.

"Nyancy Chan... Charmed to meet ya, stranger." The girl seemed to smirk a bit like a sneaky kitty.

Leo blushed even more at this. "I could say the same to you..." he replied, sweating even more.

Nyancy giggled as she looked at him.

Leo grinned sheepishly at that. "Wow...you have a pretty laugh..." he remarked.

"Why, thank you," Nyancy smirked before she soon began to run again. "Try and keep up. I dare ya to chase me!~"

Leo beamed. "You're on!" he replied as he took off after her.

The two seemed to race together with a laugh. Due to being a dream, it seemed as though they passed Prince Manik and Princess Sonia who waved to them down the path. The duo looked at each other, then shrugged as they continued running. Nyancy giggled as she kept running with Leo running after her like they were playing some sort of game. And Leo was actually enjoying each minute of it. Nyancy chuckled before she soon stopped by a body of water which seemed to be like a beach.

"Whoa..." Leo gasped in awe.

"Mm... That was fun..." Nyancy smiled. "I could almost go for a dip in the cool refreshing water."

Leo gaped in surprise. "Sounds like fun." he replied.

"Why don't you join me?" Nyancy smirked to Leo. "You look like you could use a little cooling off."

Leo nodded eagerly at this. Nyancy smirked to him and put her feet in the water to see how cool it was.

Leo did the same thing. "Hoo! That is some cold water!" he yelped.

"We should probably wait it out," Nyancy chuckled to him. "I never would've taken you for the camping type."

"Hm...likewise..." Leo replied.

Nyancy smirked to him before she seemed to go under the water. Leo soon stood over the water to help her out, but she soon took his hands and pulled him under the water.

LJ let out a yelp before looking around as he woke up and found himself in his bedroom. What a crazy dream, but boy, was it a good one! With a yawn, he got up and started getting dressed.

"A school camping trip..." Cherry commented as she made some snacks for the kids to take on their trip to go camping with the school. "Kinda makes me think of that time in Everfree."

"Oh, I remember reading about that," Lionel replied. "Talk about an ordeal..."

"Well, I suppose it'll be fun," Cherry said while cooking. "I mean... I hope they have fun anyway. Maybe they'll see Geno and Gurri."

"Sorry, refresh my memory on those two?" Lionel asked. "Been awhile..."

"Bambi and Faline's fawns," Cherry smiled softly. "Such a peaceful little forest."

"Ohhhh..." Lionel replied.

"There we go," Cherry smiled. "Snacks for the road trip."

"So, when are you taking the kids?" Cherry and Lionel asked in unison. "Me?! I thought you were gonna do it!"

"Actually, it says that BOTH of you gotta do it." David replied as he entered the kitchen.

"You're not busy, are you?" Cherry asked Lionel as she sealed up the container.

"Not really," Lionel replied. "You?"

"No, I just thought you were gonna do it," Cherry said. "Ah, well, no big deal. I guess I could pack up a suitcase real quick. I'm not a big camper, but I suppose it would be nice to bond with the kids like this."

"Yeah, that could be fun!" Lionel gleamed.

Cherry soon got a text from Atticus even though they were both adults now.

"How is he?" Lionel asked.

"'I think I'm getting old... Estelle and Lee might make me a grandfather... #JustSawAGrayHairAfterTakingOffMyWorkHat'." Cherry read aloud.

"Oh, cripes, he's using hashtags," Lionel rolled his eyes. "Dude needs to chill out."

"Never thought Atticus of all people would use hashtags..." Cherry muttered. "Come on, Atticus, you let this Lee kid hang around Estelle more after that time we went to the Jinnouchi family reunion as honorary guests... GET A GRIP!" she then snapped a bit.

"We oughta go over and snap some sense into him." Lionel suggested.

Zofia soon came downstairs, playing on her own phone and seemed to be stuck on it like she couldn't focus on anything else.

"Man, she's really hooked on that thing." Cherry commented.

LJ slid down the stair railing and came to a halt. "Fear not, parents, for David and I have conceived a remedy!" he explained, before smacking the phone onto the carpet with his hand.

Zofia's eyes widened and her left eye twitched with her hands shaking violently.

"Nice." Cherry playfully rolled her eyes.

"Just a sonic second, young lady," Lionel stated. "As...crude as their method was, your brothers make a decent point: you are spending WAY too much time on your phone."

"I am not!" Zofia complained. "I can stop any time I want!"

"How about now?" David smirked.

"...I said when I want." Zofia replied.

"My point exactly," Lionel replied. "I don't like camping any more than you (or your brothers) do, but it's what you need to get your mind off your phone."

"Nor I..." Cherry added. "Why don't you use your imagination? I've always had a big imagination, even when technology took over. If anything, it advanced my career as a writer."

"Yeah! My imagination got me into as much problems as it got me OUT of!" Lionel added. "Sometimes, even more!"

"Hmm... All right, but at least let me do one more thing on my phone?" Zofia replied.

"...Fine... But one thing..." Cherry said, handing her daughter her phone for one last time. "Don't make me turn into the mom from Diary of a Wimpy Kid."

"You mean Susan Heffley?" Lionel asked. "Those were pretty funny..."

Cherry gave him an icy glance.

"I don't think Mom's in the mood for that right now." David smiled sheepishly.

Cherry let Zofia use her phone one last time, but would soon take it back.

Lionel shivered, icicles growing on his body. "It w-w-wasn't even aimed-d-d at-t-t y-y-you..." he managed to say.

Zofia soon used her phone one last time. Cherry soon checked on the snacks and soon went to pack herself a bag for the camping trip.

Lionel shook the icicles off and got to packing his own bag for the trip. "Too hot to handle, too cold to hold!" he remarked.

"Parents..." Zofia sighed as she used her phone.

"Time's almost up," Lionel called out. "Soon as we hit the road, you hand your phone back to your mother!"

"Yes, sir!" Zofia called back.

"Mm... Mom's snacks..." David smiled, taking a container. "I wonder what she made us this time?"

"Probably something REALLY awesome!" LJ added as he began to salivate.

"Camp Everwood... I wonder what it'll be like?" Zofia wondered. "Maybe I'll get lost in the jungle, and the brave and handsome explorer will come rescue me?"

"It's a forest, sis, not the Amazon rainforest," LJ replied. "And lemme guess: you're imagining being rescued by Craig Ferguson?"

Zofia looked bashful while David smirked to his sister. "...Shut up."

"...Your silence tells everything." David shrugged. "What's really left to say?"

"Pfft!" Zofia blew a raspberry. "#AnnoyingBrothers."

"Ugh... Hashtags..." David groaned. "Never did like those things."

"Same, bro," LJ agreed. "It's literally the pound sign from a wall phone, except used in annoying contexts."

"Hmm... I wonder if we'll make any new friends during this trip?" Zofia soon smiled hopefully.

"Most likely," LJ replied. "Maybe if we do, you might start acting like your old adventurer self again."

"Hmm... I guess I've been acting a little different since I got my phone..." Zofia said. "Maybe Mater and Frater are right."

"Yeah, you're acting like one of those teen stereotypes one would see on TV," David added. "It's like you got replaced by a pod-person or something...*shudders audibly*"

"I guess I have changed a bit... I'm sorry, you guys." Zofia smiled bashfully to her brothers.

"Aw, it's fine," LJ replied. "Besides, better you hear it from your own bros than from some random weirdo on the street."

"Yeah..." Zofia said. "I prefer the weirdos I live with." she then added with a playful smirk.

"Apology accepted, sis." LJ and David replied.

The siblings soon all shared a hug with each other as Cherry and Lionel came back downstairs.

"Okay, kids, time to get going!" Lionel announced. "Each of you grab your bags and get out here!"

"Yes, sir!" The kids saluted as they went to get their things for their next big adventure.

And shortly after, they got back outside with their travel bags and sleeping bags.

"We're not taking an RV again, are we?" Zofia asked.

"Nah," Cherry smirked. "We're just gonna take the family car while everyone else takes the bus."

"Yup!" Lionel replied. "Speaking of which, that ought to be your friends showing up right about now!"

The kids soon packed up their things until their friends would come to travel with them to Camp Everwood.

"Um... Is Drell coming?" LJ asked.

"Yes, dear..." Cherry replied. "He's mostly there to keep an eye on Ambrose though."

David rolled his eyes. "Of course...because we'll OBVIOUSLY need his complete and utter lack of empathy for anyone other than himself."

"Just ignore him, and he'll go away." Cherry advised.

"You two know as well as I do that's never actually worked once." LJ replied.

"I know, that's just what MY mother told me about bullies." Cherry said.

"Fair enough." Lionel replied.

"I'm sure you'll be fine though, if not, I'll just give him a scare since the tables have turned on us lately." Cherry soon showed a dark grin on her face which highlighted her fangs.

LJ smirked. "Good to know, Mom." he remarked.

"Your friends should be here very soon," Cherry smiled. "It's so nice to see you guys hanging out together. Makes me think of the old days with Atticus, Mo, Patch, and you father."

"Sure does," Lionel replied with a smile. "Those were some of the best days of my life."

"Okay, I think that's everything, now we gotta wait for some friends to show up." Cherry said.

Of course, Kimberly soon came by first, and she brought Gordon, Waffle, and Mr. Blik with her. Surprisingly, they didn't look too different from when LJ and Zofia were kids.

"Hey, guys, long time no see." Zofia said to the cat brothers.

"It sure has been a while, huh?" Waffle smiled. "We thought camping would be fun with Kimberly!"

"Well, I figured I needed a chance to prove that my wilderness survival skills aren't getting rusty," Mr. Blik smirked. "After all, I didn't want to upstage Katilda."

Gordon and Waffle soon smirked as Mr. Blik mentioned Katilda.

"What?!" Mr. Blik glared.

"Nuthin'~" Gordon and Waffle replied innocently.

"Don't gimme that 'nuthin' shtick!" Mr. Blik remarked. "I KNOW you two are up to something!"

Gordon and Waffle just chuckled to their brother.

"Always good to see you, dear," Cherry said as she gave a small hug to Kimberly. "Ah, such a lovely girl. I wish I could've grown up with more girls just like you."

"Thanks, Mrs. Schwartz," Kimberly beamed in response. "But at least you managed to make something great of yourself. And someday, I hope I can be as confident as you are."

"Aw, you're sweet." Cherry gave a small smile.

Kimberly beamed. "Thanks, I try!" she replied as she went to join the others.

Dib and Gaz soon came over next.

"Hey, guys," Zofia smiled to the Membrane siblings. "What brings you here besides our company?"

"Dib insists on meeting Bigfoot." Gaz replied.

"Hey, if we're gonna be in the woods, I may as well make the most of it." Dib shrugged before he spotted GIFfany waving at him from inside his cell phone. He seemed to bashfully smile to that.

"I thought I could use a little fresh air," Gaz said. "Dad's idea though."

"He just wants us out of the house so he can spend even MORE time working on his precious scientific pursuits without having to worry about us." Dib replied bitterly.

"Well, it's good to see you guys out," Cherry said. "Are those Billy and Mandy kids gonna come too then? I feel like I haven't seen them since you kids visited my haunted house when you went trick-or-treating before running into that Jack O'Lantern character."

"Nah," Dib replied. "Those two are nothing but trouble! Billy is a hopeless idiot, and Mandy never gets comeuppance for anything she does...not to mention she's an untrustworthy jerk."

"Looks like I'm above Mandy when it comes to moral behavior and character development!" Gaz added. "...At least around here."

"Basically, yeah." Dib replied, and everyone muttered in agreement.

Raul soon came over, looking a little embarrassed as his hair was combed down as he came with his cousins.

"Uh, you okay, Raul?" LJ asked.

"Mom did my hair funny..." Raul pouted. "How am I gonna impress any ladies with my hair looking stupid like this?"

"We'll be at a camp," Martin replied. "I don't think you'll get the chance to embarrass yourself."

"You'll be fine," Jenny added. "Come on, let's get to the Schwartz's."

Raul soon walked off with his cousins to see the Schwartz family. Eventually, they arrived to meet up with the others.

"Everybody here?" Cherry asked. "I think so..."

"Looks like it." Zofia guessed.

"Hmm...almost." David noted.

Suddenly, a car drove up, and Chrissy was placed outside, dressed in dark purple nature gear, as well as a hot-pink colored travel bag being put next to her. The car then closed its doors and drove off.

"Wow... That just happened... Hello there, Chrissy." Cherry blinked before looking to the blonde girl.

"I gotta be prepared for everything." Chrissy replied.

"Okay, NOW it's everyone," Lionel replied. "Everybody into the car!"

Everyone soon got into the car and they began to leave home to start a new adventure in the woods. They were joined shortly by a large yellow bus being driven by Phil and Lil's mom...rather erratically, might I add. "What is that nutbar doing?" Cherry muttered to herself.

Tommy was watching a horror movie that he filmed with his friends helping out by being the actors, but it was ruined thanks to Lil laughing instead being afraid. Dil was wearing a bunny mask as he came out of the doggy door which made Lil laugh.

"Lame, party of one, your table's ready," Tommy sulked as he closed his video camera. "This horror movie thing's a bust."

"Oh, I dunno," Theo shrugged. "Horror is so overrated. If that doesn't pan out, you can always market it as a spoof comedy!"

"Hmm... I dunno..." Tommy replied.

"I promise not to laugh next time, Tommy." Lil promised.

"There won't be a next time, I'm all out of summer." Tommy replied.

"Don't rush it, Pickles," Angelica replied. "Summer ain't over till the phat lady sings AND gets the lead in the camp musical. That's phat, with a P-H, by the way."

"I see your ego is fat with a capital F." Susie smirked.

Theo chuckled as that was a bit funny. They all passed a sign labelled "Camp Everwood: 7 Miles".

"I wonder if I could use my technomancer powers to construct a physical body for you..." Dib commented to GIFfany.

"I would love that... You would do that just for me?" GIFfany smiled angelically to him.

"Sure!" Dib replied. "I'd just need to find enough of the necessary materials to do so!"

"Oh, Dib, that's so sweet of you," GIFfany smiled to him. "That would make me the happiest girl in the world!"

"Aw, it's nothing, really." Dib blushed.

"It's Mrs. DeVille's Wild Ride!" Betty cheered and laughed.

Everyone was holding on to something as the bus was on a bumpy ride.

"I suddenly don't feel bad about my own driving skills." Cherry commented.

Lionel nodded in agreement.

"Betty, please keep the bouncing to a minimum, I just had kidney surgery." Charlotte warned as she wore a sun hat, sunglasses, and had bandages on her nose and face.

"I didn't know her kidneys were in her face." Stu smirked about his sister-in-law.

Theo snickered at that.

"Oh, Stu..." Didi sighed to her husband. "She just had some freshening up and she doesn't want the whole world to know."

"If her skin was any tighter, she'd have eyes on the sides of her face." Randy commented before laughing.

"Randy!" Lucy scolded before then laughing with her husband.

"Oh, you guys..." Colleen said to them as she came for the trip while her other sons would be at home with their grandfather.

So the bus kept on driving.


	2. Chapter 2

Betty hit a small pothole, but continued to drive until they were there. "Well, this is it, folks!" she announced to her passengers. "Welcome to Camp Everwood!"

"Definitely looks...inviting..." Dib remarked sarcastically.

"It'd be even more if Jason Voorhees were here." Gaz replied.

"No thanks," LJ replied. "I enjoy being alive."

Everyone soon came out to explore and Chrissy held out her can of bug spray and sprayed it everywhere which made some of the others cough from it. Everyone then gathered around to meet the counselor who stood before them all.

"I suppose I could try to make some new girl friends like Estelle did once..." Zofia commented as she looked around to make at least one new friend on this trip.

"I suppose..." LJ shrugged.

Drell was soon seen coming with Hilda and Ambrose.

"Hey, guys." Ambrose smiled as he came towards his friends.

"Ambrose!" LJ grinned. "Been a long while!"

"I'll say," Ambrose smiled before giving him a friendly hug. "Looks like we both got roped into a camping trip, huh?"

"Sure seems that way," LJ replied. "But this time we're 10 years older, and a whole lot bolder!"

"Mm-hmm," Ambrose smiled, a little bashful. "I don't feel too much different, but at least now I'm controlling my magic a bit easier."

"Great to hear!" LJ congratulated his friend.

"Yeah, trust me, it wasn't easy," Ambrose replied. "Especially whenever I had to compete with Shinji."

"No kidding," LJ nodded. "Now that guy was troublesome!"

"Looks like a pretty good crowd." Ambrose said as he looked around the other kids who came on the camping trip.

"Yeah, they're a nice bunch," LJ agreed. "Some more than others...but they all have good hearts."

"That's good." Ambrose said.

A group of other kids were shown to be joining in on the camping trip.

"Hey, it's those kids," Zofia pointed out. "Ed, Edd, and Eddy."

"Didn't expect to see those three here." David remarked.

The campers soon gathered around to meet the man in charge.

"I'm Chance," The blonde man introduced himself. "Your camp supervisor, musical director, and playwright," he then pointed to the old woman holding a log. "Ellie here runs the Bait, Tackle, and Donut Shop."

"The door's open from 7:00 to 6:00 on weekdays," The older woman told the visitors. "And I specialize in granite arrowheads to keep ghosts away."

"Wotta kook." Eddy snorted under his breath.

"Uh, ghosts, ma'am?" Cherry asked.

"'Cuz Camp Everwood is haunted!" Ellie replied. "Cur-sed even!"

"Cursed?" Tommy asked.

"No, 'cur-sed'." Phil replied.

LJ yawned. "Haunted camp...ho-hum." he mumbled.

"Typical whack-job is she?" Chance muttered as he put Ellie inside of the building behind them. "Now, this tall drink of creek water is Bean."

The boy beside him soon gave a small smile and wave to everyone. A lot of the girls seemed interested in him.

"Okay, Nature Lovers," Chance smiled. "Let's get you all settled in so we can get this show on the road!"

LJ smirked. "I don't think the girls are as into the nature as they are into Bean-o right there, huh, Kimberly...Kimberly? Chrissy?"

Kimberly and Chrissy seemed to look at Bean differently.

"Loyal... Nice." Gaz deadpanned to them since they were supposed to like LJ.

LJ squinted, feeling betrayed.

"This is where you'll be preforming our original musical," Chance told the others as he showed an outdoor theater. "I don't wanna spoil the surprise, but I can't help it. My uncle's cousin's friend who walks a dog for a casting director is coming to the show. Today: Camp Everwood, tomorrow, arf, arf: Broadway!"

"Arf, Arf, Broadway!" Angelica, Susie, and Howard imitated.

LJ rolled his eyes. "Great--my two favorite girls are going gaga over someone else, and most of the others have been bit hard by the showbiz bug." he remarked. "Time to learn if this Bean character is friend or foe..."

"Aww... Does someone want a hug?" Cherry asked.

"No, Mom, I'm goo--" LJ said only to get hugged anyway.

"Surprise!" Cherry smiled, hugging LJ to cheer him up.

LJ flailed his legs around until he got tired. "Thanks, Mom...but I got work to do." he replied, glancing at Bean suspiciously.

"Oh! I'm sorry..." Cherry said before setting him down and letting him go. "You just looked so unhappy... Hugging my mom always cheered me up when I was younger."

"I know...and it's fine," LJ replied, hugging her back. "I never said I didn't appreciate it."

Cherry soon looked to Kimberly and Chrissy as they looked at Bean. "They seem interested in that Bean kid..." she then said. "Bean... Such an odd name for a child."

"Probably a nickname," LJ replied. "I don't even get why they're going all goofy over him, anyways."

"I'm not sure, dear," Cherry said. "But you know, growing up, girls were obsessed with those sparkling vampires..." she then rolled her eyes. "Blech!"

"That sounds disgusting." LJ replied.

"It WAS, and still is." Lionel told him.

"Well...I'm just worried, that's all." LJ explained.

"Don't worry," Cherry smiled. "We'll help out, and I'm sure your friends would love to help out as well."

"If they're not busy swooning over Bean, that is..." LJ groused.

Cherry gave him a soft pat on the head and walked off as the kids soon went to their very own cabins to start unpacking.

"What'd you pack for snacks this time, Mom?" David beamed.

"All your favorites." Cherry smiled to LJ, Zofia, and David.

"Alright, so this isn't a complete bummer..." LJ shrugged with a smile.

Cherry soon gave each of the kids their own containers of snacks they loved the most from home.

"Good...I needed the nourishment," LJ sighed. "Now to investigate..."

Bean was seen wandering by the campsite himself as everyone else settled in.

"Call me crazy, but I swear this place is air-conditioned." Phil commented.

"It means ghosts are around!" Dil replied.

"Dil, I got bigger problems than the supernatural to deal with," LJ replied. "But I guess Dib decided to get a jump on THAT."

"Coming from a man who communicates with aliens through his alphabet cereal?" Tommy smirked to his younger brother as he filmed with his video camera.

Chuckie was carrying a couple of stuff and headed out to the door. "Come on, get a move on, let's go." he then said.

"Well, I didn't expect to see you so amped for this." Martin replied.

"Who are you and what have you done with Chuckie Finster?" Raul added.

"What's the rush?" Tommy asked his best friend. "We got a whole week."

"Historically speaking that's not a lot of time for a Finster to find his talent," Chuckie replied. "It took my dad 17 years to realize that he could whistle three octaves. He wasted his childhood not knowing he had a gift and that's not gonna happen to me." he then walked off out of the cabin.

"Well....that was informative..." LJ shrugged. "Besides, Kimberly and Chrissy will probably be over Bean by later, and things will be right back to normal...for us, at least."

"For your sake, I sure hope so," Raul said. "I can't believe even they fell victim to his supposed charm."

"That kind of thing never lasts long," LJ replied. "I figure I might be able to get some time with them today..."

"Well, at least you're handling it well." Raul said as he fell flat on his bed.

"If I don't...then who will?" LJ asked.

"Good point..." Raul sighed. "I guess I'm just missing that Dora girl... She's so beautiful."

"Relax, dude," LJ replied. "Life has its ways of working out, and in time you two will cross paths again."

"Isn't that what happened with PJ and Wendy Corduroy?" Martin commented. 

"Basically, yeah." LJ replied.

"Hmm.. Maybe you're right, guys..." Raul said. "I guess it could be worse like that short kid out there."

They soon looked out the window to see what was going on.

Eddy soon walked by and smirked once he saw Angelica and came up beside her. "Hey, good lookin'. You come here often?" 

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Keep dreaming, small fry." she replied as she walked off.

"Hey! Come on!" Eddy complained as he was rejected just like that. 

"Exactly," LJ replied. "Now let's at least try enjoying this place...if we can."

Drell was seen unpacking his own car after Ambrose came out to mingle and he soon yelped, feeling a chill down his spine.

"Hiiiii~" Cherry grinned to him, showing her fully grown fangs. 

Lionel chuckled. "When she does that with me, it means REALLY good things. When she does it with YOU, well, you're in trou-ble~!" 

"Uh, hello there..." Drell smiled nervously to them, weakly waving. "Um... Nice weather, huh?"

"Mm-hmm..." Cherry smirked, licking her fangs. "Almost makes me hungry after a long travel away from home."

"That's nice..." Drell said as he took out a sandwich, putting it in her face. "Mm! Sandwiches are good..." 

"You know, if you're hungry, I can help..." Lionel smiled with a wink.

"I'm not hungry!" Drell told them before running off. "Waah!"

"Hmm... I guess this sandwich will have to do." Cherry smirked, taking the sandwich and eating it normally. 

Lionel shrugged with a smirk. "Ah, well. Guess I can give you YOUR special snack later..." he replied. "Never thought I'd envy a sandwich being bitten by you..."

"Maybe after the kids go to sleep." Cherry smirked back. 

Lionel giggled giddily. "Ooh, yeah!" he replied.

Zofia soon wandered around to see if she could make some new friends.

"Aw, come on, Zo, you're not giving up already, are you?" Cherry asked.

"I just don't know if I can make new friends around here..." Zofia shrugged.

"Hmm..." Cherry paused and looked around before seeing a girl with short red hair tied in pigtails. "Why don't you go see that girl? She seems nice."

"Um... Okay... I guess..." Zofia shrugged as she went to see the girl. "Hi there," Zofia introduced herself. "My name's Zofia. What's yours?"

"Oh, um, hello," The redheaded girl smiled. "My name is Zoey. Zoey Hanson."

Cherry and Lionel gave a small smile as Zofia finally made a new friend. 

"Would you want to hang out with me?" Zofia asked.

"Um... Okay," Zoey smiled. "That sounds nice since my other friends aren't here."

Zofia smiled back to her. "Hey, small world!" she then grinned.

Zoey gave a small smile back as they walked off together to hang out.

"Hey, Zo!" LJ waved as he was on his way to the lake. "Who's your new friend?"

"This is Zoey Hanson." Zofia smiled.

"Two Zo's, huh?" LJ chuckled.

"Um, hi." Zoey smiled to LJ.

"Hi there!" LJ shook her hand. "Pleasure to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too," Zoey smiled, shaking his hand back. "You guys sure are friendly."

"Zoey Hanson?" Drell commented as he overheard the kids. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"Heck if I know," LJ shrugged. "What's one more friend?"

Drell soon looked back and forth and soon went into the bushes to do some research on Zoey.

"You're by yourself, huh?" Zofia asked her new friend.

"Yeah," Zoey replied. "All of my other friends had other plans."

"Gotta be difficult spending time away from your pals." David commented.

"Yeah, it is a little," Zoey replied. "It's nice to meet new friends though."

The Schwartz siblings smiled to her as this seemed to be going great so far.

"That's the spirit!" LJ replied. "Maybe we could meet YOUR friends sometime!"

"I would like that." Zoey smiled.

Chuckie soon went to join the others to archery who were going.

"Hmm... Archery... I wonder if I could do that?" Theo wondered.

"Teddy, be careful!" Colleen told her youngest son.

"Mom, my name is Theo, remember?!" Theo pouted. "Theo! Teddy's a baby name!"

Timmy and the other McNulty boys snickered at that. Theo soon went to try out archery with the other campers who were there. Most of them hit the bulls-eye, but Chuckie didn't seem to.

"Heeey... Where'd mine go?" Chuckie asked. "Ugh... I guess I can cross 'archery' off my list."

"That's fair," Lionel replied as he pulled the arrow out of his leg. "Wouldn't want anything like this happening a second time!"

"Oops. Sorry, Mr. Schwartz." Chuckie said.

"Eh, it's fine," Lionel replied as his leg healed itself. "No harm done, literally."

"Just try and be a little more careful next time." Cherry advised.

"Yeah. Not everyone can do what I can!" Lionel added.

"I'll try..." Chuckie said as he walked off from them.

Tommy soon dropped his bow in fear. "RUN!" He then told his friends.

"BEES! THEY'RE RIPPING YOUR FLESH OFF!" Cherry cried out as a swarm of bees chased after the boys. "YOUR FIRE ARMS ARE USELESS AGAINST THEM!"

Lionel's face went dark. "Bees...my God..." he remarked solemnly.

"Must be just agitated today," Cherry commented. "Seem to be attacking the boys for no reason other than bad camping trip tropes."

"Sure feels that way," LJ replied. "At least Dib lucked out; he wasn't here to get attacked by bees."

"Where is that friend of yours anyway?" Cherry asked.

"Probably on his phone." LJ shrugged as a guess.

Meanwhile, Dib and GIFfany were trekking through the woods in search of metal parts. Luckily Dib had taken a portable charger with him, so GIFfany wouldn't have to worry about the phone powering down and running out of energy.

"Such a beautiful walk... Nature really is amazing, isn't it, Dib?" GIFfany commented.

"I suppose..." Dib replied. "But it would really help if we could find a source of metal large enough to construct a body for y--" He was cut off when he bumped into a large metallic fighter jet that was placed in the midst of the forest. "Well...how oddly convenient..."

"What is it, Dib?" GIFfany asked.

"I believe I might have found a sufficient supply of metal..." Dib explained.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful!" GIFfany beamed. "You think that will be able to help me out?"

"If you can make it work, then yeah!" Dib replied. "All I need is to link my phone with it somehow so you can transfer yourself into it, then construct your ideal body using the provided metal resources."

GIFfany looked very excited to hear that. So Dib climbed into the cockpit of the empty plane and proceeded to construct a port to connect his phone to the jet's systems, before linking it up. GIFfany smiled in excitement and anticipation.

"Pretty soon, GIFfany, you're gonna be a real girl!" Dib beamed. "...More or less. It might take a few years to clone you a flesh and blood body, but for the time being...this will do nicely."

"I look forward to it." GIFfany mused as hearts bubbled beside her.

So Dib hooked up the link cable, and GIFfany began to transfer herself into the large metallic mass. Dib gave a small smile and GIFfany smiled back to him for the help.

"Okay...I'll be back when you finish transferring yourself in and making the renovations you want." Dib replied.

"Don't take too long~" GIFfany winked to him before smirking, like a mischievous kitty.

Dib blushed as he headed back towards the campsite.

Meanwhile, LJ had plans of his own back at camp. Theo waved to LJ as he was fishing with the others who wanted to go fishing. And surprisingly, he spotted Kimberly and Chrissy heading to the lake as well.

"Even if I don't catch anything, it'll be nice to just hang out with them." he said to himself.

"So, Chrissy, are you gonna go fishing too?" Kimberly smiled to the blonde girl.

"I suppose so," replied Chrissy. "Not like I have anything better to do."

Kimberly smiled to her.

"How hard can it be?" Chrissy smirked as she sat down and took out her fishing pole.

"I wish I had gills." Ed smiled.

"Shut up, Ed." Eddy rolled his eyes.

LJ soon came by and sat down near them. "....hey, you two. Figured I'd shoot the breeze with you while we fish." he explained.

Chrissy and Kimberly looked over.

"Hey, man." Eddy said to LJ.

"Hey." LJ replied back.

"My dad says fishing's a great bonding experience for guys." Ed smiled.

"Yeah, so is learning to shave and playing 'Catch' and whatnot." LJ replied.

"My dad looks like a zombie when he comes home from work," Ed smiled. "Just like Evil Tim!"

LJ just rolled his eyes as he went back to fishing with the girls. "So...anyway," he began. "I just wanted to get some emotional stuff out there now."

"What's up, Lionel?" Chrissy asked as she tried her best to fish, though she didn't seem to be very good at it.

"I noticed the three of us spend plenty of time with the others, but not just the three of us," LJ replied. "I mean, for cripes' sakes, we're teens at a camp in the forest."

"So, you mean, we should spend some time with each other and not just hanging around the others like in our other adventures?" Kimberly guessed.

"Well....YEAH," LJ blushed. "If that's cool with you two."

Kimberly and Chrissy looked to him before looking to each other with small smiles.

"Of course!" Chrissy smiled.

LJ beamed giddily. "Great! Whenever's good for you works for me!" he replied. "Be it night or day, I'm not picky!"

"Well, I wouldn't mind sharing a meal with you," Kimberly smiled. "My mother packed some of her famous taquitos in my bag."

"Alright!" LJ beamed. "Sounds mondo cool to me!"

"Eh... Maybe I'll have one... I'm trying to watch my girlish figure." Chrissy replied with a small smirk as she looked at her beautifully manicured hands.

LJ blushed. "Well...I can definitely see that..." he replied. "But hey, nothing says we can't all share."

"Ooh!" Kimberly gasped before smiling. "I think I got a bite!"

"What?!" Chrissy asked.

Kimberly laughed as she soon tried to reel in a fish.

"Awesomeness!" LJ cheered. "Okay, Kim, reel that son of a bass in!"

"Haha!" Kimberly beamed as she reeled the best she could and soon brought out a rather big fish.

"It's a whopper!" Chrissy gasped.

"I got it!" LJ replied, pulling out a net to drop it in.

Kimberly smiled as she put the fish in the net. "I caught a fish, I've never done that on my own before!"

LJ gleefully hugged Kimberly, spun her around and kissed her. "That was BADASS, Kimberly! You are SO AWESOME!!!" he exclaimed.

"Oh! Heh. Thank you, LJ." Kimberly giggled and blushed from that.

"Hey, no problem!" LJ replied.

Chrissy looked a bit jealous, but she soon smiled anyway.

"What a great fishing experience, huh, everybody?" Kimberly smiled all around.

"Well, it is for me anyway, sweetheart." Lucy smiled back to her as she soon caught her own fish after giving Chuckie some medicine from the bee stings.

Chuckie winced a little bit at the feeling of the medicine.

"Ooh! That's a good fish too, Dr. Carmichael." Kimberly smiled. 

"Thank you, dear." Lucy smiled back.

"OWW!" Phil soon yelled out.

"Looks like we got another one..." Lionel remarked.

"What's up, Buttercup?" Cherry asked Phil.

Phil soon had a snapping turtle biting his toe, and Betty got up to get it off of him. "No! Mom! Leave it on!"

"You wanna talk around with a snapping turtle on your toe?!" Betty asked him.

"I don't wanna miss out!" Phil groaned. "Pain is apart of the camping experience!"

"Yeah, as in the BAD part." Lionel remarked.

"Not to mention poison ivy, but I don't go around rubbing it on my tush for the adventure." Betty added.

"Nobody does!" LJ replied. "Nobody's that much of a masochist!"

Cherry and Lionel quietly chuckled to each other awkwardly in the background.

"Ooh! I've got--" Chuckie smiled as he reeled something in which was an accordion and he frowned. "Another thing to cross off my list..."

"Well, at least we don't rub poison oak on our butts." Lionel muttered.

"Or bring in snapping turtles." Cherry muttered back.

Soon, the campers went out on a hike together. Dib, once again, had gone off during the hike to find GIFfany. Dil was soon seen walking backwards.

"What is that boy doing?" Zoey asked.

"Just being same old Dil." Zofia told her new friend.

"Phil dropped him on his head," LJ sighed. "Long story."

"Oh, my." Zoey cupped her mouth from that.

"We try not to mention it too often." David added.

"It's a bit disturbing..." Zoey replied.

"Uh, let's continue that nature walk." Zofia smiled nervously so not to lose her new friend.

"Good idea!" LJ remarked. "Let's step it up!"

They soon continued to walk off together as Dil joined them, walking backwards. Lil and Kimi soon went to stop and rest for a minute, already wore out.

"Hiking bites!" Lil complained.

"So do mosquitoes!" Theo added.

"You said it." Kimi groaned.

Chance was soon walking by just then with Bean.

"You girls wanna rest?" Chance asked them since they looked already tired.

"Hm....okay." Kimberly replied.

"Sounds like a plan!" Gordon agreed.

"For once, you guys are speaking my language!" LJ remarked. "What they said."

Bean soon walked over beside Chance.

"Uh, no way!" Kimi smiled bashfully.

"I could go for MILES!" Lil added.

"Well, I'm still gonna sit down." Kimberly rolled her eyes toward their behavior.

"Same here..." Chrissy nodded as she sat down. "Besides, Bean's....a little young for us, anyways..."

"Well, if not Bean," Angelica replied. "Then who?"

"Hello? LJ?" Chrissy replied. "He's been a major part of my life since... Well... Forever!"

"Eh," Angelica, Kimi and Lil shrugged as they went after Bean. "Sure didn't seem that way earlier."

Chrissy seemed to roll her eyes to them.

"That guy's gonna steal my job!" Raul complained about Bean.

"Relax, you're a teenager. You can charm ladies your own age!" David remarked.

Raul just gave a small smirk to that.

"There goes his ego." Jenny chuckled to her cousin.

"Hey, someone has to help him." Martin shrugged.

Raul glanced at them and rolled his eyes as they continued to hike for a while.

"Whoa! There he is!" Dil gasped and pointed as he saw Bigfoot coming out.

"Dil, you might wanna check again." Eddy remarked.

"But he's right there!" Dil defended. "Can't you see him?!"

"If you really think we're gonna look again, you're whack." Tommy rolled his eyes.

"Geez, this kid's worse than Ed!" Eddy snickered.

"Look at me run!" Ed laughed as he randomly ran by.

"Why did I agree to this again?" Double D asked as he looked around the woods.

"Because your parents said that you needed more physical activities to not be a scrawny weakling?" Kevin retorted.

"Not funny." Double D pouted.

"I thought it was." Kevin smirked.

"Oh, I'm not going to like this kid, aren't I?" Cherry commented as Kevin seemed to be a bully of the group.

"Nope," Lionel replied. "Kevin is a HUGE asswipe. But not as bad as Eddy's older brother. Reason Kevin picks on Eddy is cuz he's pissed at his older brother and how he used to torment the kids for fun."

Kevin looked nervous at the mention of Eddy's brother.

"I think I see what you mean." Cherry commented once she saw that.

"Aye..." Lionel nodded as Dib turned and snuck off into the woods.

Dib looked around and kept going.

"That kid is weird sometimes." Cherry commented.

"Yeah, but we're not exactly everyday average joes ourselves," Lionel shrugged.

"...Yeah, I suppose..." Cherry chuckled before sitting down. "Ugh... I walked too much."

"It's fine." Lionel replied as he sat with her.


	3. Chapter 3

Meanwhile, Dib was sneaking through the woods to find GIFfany and regroup with her. GIFfany waited as patiently as she could for Dib, looking nearly miserable without him.

Dib was walking towards her location when he spotted a blue trailer with purple windows. "What's a trailer doing in the woods?" he wondered. He looked around, deciding to take a closer look and peeked into one of the windows to see three girls together.

One had curly red hair, the other had long blonde hair, and the final one seemed to have short blue-colored hair.

"What an unusual group..." Dib muttered. "Oh, well; back to finding GIFfany." As he headed off, he didn't notice he stepped on a few fallen branches on the way out, and they cracked loudly when he did.

"Hey! You girls hear that?" A deep, though female voice, snapped.

"Yeah, sounded like a weasel!" A high-pitched female voice replied.

Dib broke out into a cold sweat and made a run for it as the door opened. The three girls soon looked around.

"It's a boy!" The gruff girl told her sisters.

Dib looked back and gulped nervously as he did. The girls soon began to chase after Dib.

"I'm too young to die!" Dib cried out as he tried to run from the girls. "Wait a second...I should have some weapons on hand to defend myself..." he then remarked as he rummaged through his pockets, but didn't find anything on hand.

The girls continued to chase him and soon surrounded him from all directions as there were three of them.

Dib fumbled with his wristwatch as he managed to push a button on it. "Let's hope GIFfany hears this..." he thought as the watch began to send out an ultrasonic signal to the jet.

"What the heck is he doing?" The redhead glared.

"Who cares? Get him!" The blonde huffed. "He came onto our property!"

Dib quickly threw a handful of dirt at them and scrambled to run. Meanwhile, GIFfany had intercepted Dib's signal, but had discovered an interesting secret about her new jet body.

"I don't know what happened, but that kid is dead!" The blue-haired girl scowled.

Dib was still running through the woods. "I can either hope they got tired and went home...or that GIFfany got my signal. Either way, I should be fi---" he started before he tripped over a log and went tumbling into a tree.

The three sisters looked around, glaring and growling.

"We gotta tell Mom to get us a dog, but as of now... MAY! You're the best we got," The redheaded girl demanded before pointing to her blonde sister. "You look for that twerp!"

"Uh, okay!" May nodded as she put her nose to the ground and started sniffing. "He went this way! So what do we do with him when we get him?"

"We gotta teach him a lesson, Kanker style!" The redhead smirked.

"Sounds like fun!" May nodded as she took off, with her sisters following.

Dib groaned as he slid down from the tree slightly after his George of the Jungle moment. Surprisingly, he could've sworn that he heard the distant sound of a jet engine firing up in the distance. "I wonder if that's...." he started.

May soon looked over and grinned. "I think I found him, Lee!"

Dib gulped. "Oh, shazbot..."

The Kanker sisters soon slid down and came after Dib again.

"Someone help!" Dib cried out. "I don't think I can hold them off!"

Suddenly, the air was filled with a loud sound of shifting metal, and in front of Dib stood a tall, robotic being with two large metal wings on its back and a pair of blasters on its wrists.

"....GIFfany?" Dib asked in surprise.

"Hello, Dib... It's so nice to see you... Let me help you." GIFfany told the boy in trouble she had feelings for.

"Wow...thanks..." Dib replied with a blush.

The Kanker Sisters soon came down and bumped up against Dib. They all smirked to him once they caught up with him.

"Uh, guys?" May asked her sisters once she saw GIFfany's new form.

"Say hello to mah leetle friend!" Dib remarked with a smirk.

GIFfany soon towered over the Kanker sisters. The three of them gulped nervously.

"Whoa..." Dib whispered.

"I think you three should leave this boy alone." GIFfany threatened.

"What happens if we don't wanna?" Lee asked.

GIFfany then fired a warning shot at the ground, leaving a smoking crater. "And next time I won't miss." she replied.

The Kanker Sisters soon ran away from Dib and GIFfany.

"Dib... You okay?" GIFfany soon asked once they were alone.

"Yeah...thanks for the assist." Dib smiled.

"I will always be there for you." GIFfany comforted him.

Dib blushed at this. "Wow..."

The Kanker Sisters ran into their trailer, but they glared as they decided to come back for Dib later, finding him to be a target.

The others were still hiking, well, those who were able to anyway, as Dr. Carmichael seemed to be as perfect and amazing with exceptional talents just as much as her daughter Susie was.

"I guess this is kinda nice." LJ remarked as he looked at the view.

"My mother is a sucker for nature, especially her garden." Kimberly smiled to LJ.

"Hmm...it's overrated, but I like it when it's peaceful like this." Chrissy nodded.

Later on, everyone came to the docks to try out some water sports. By then, GIFfany had managed to take on a less conspicuous humanoid form. Dib blushed to it.

"How do I look?" GIFfany asked him as she adjusted her dress.

"....amazing." Dib remarked.

Cherry soon looked to GIFfany. "...You look familiar somehow..." she said as she passed by to go into the boat so that Chuckie could try out jet-skiing.

"Yeah," Lionel nodded. "Probably nothing, though."

"All right, who's first?" Cherry asked.

"I volunteer!" Chaz called out.

"Love that enthusiasm!" Lionel replied. "Go for it!"

Chaz soon went to get himself ready as Cherry and Lionel joined the others in the boat. Kira smiled to her husband who gave her a thumb's up that he was ready to go once settled in.

"You can do it, honey!" Kira beamed.

"If we're lucky!" Lionel replied.

The boat soon went off, and almost immediately, Chaz fell into the water.

"Aaaaaand....splashed!" Lionel replied.

"Poor Chaz." Cherry sighed.

Even Kira seemed to face-palm at that.

"He'll be fine." Lionel replied.

The others were soon swimming in the lake as Chuckie was by the rope for the campers to swing on to jump in the water into.

"Go time, Chuckstar!" LJ whooped.

"It's just a rope swing." Kimi added.

"To you, maybe," Chuckie replied. "To me, it's a lethal weapon. Plus, I hate climbing, and I'm afraid of--"

Kimi soon pushed him to go on ahead so the others could have a turn.

"Wonder where the girls are?" LJ pondered.

"Probably getting dolled up." Waffle smiled, taking out a Baby Alive doll for a joke. 

Mr. Blik smacked it out of his hand. "Ugh, you know those things are creepy."

"Aww..." Waffle pouted.

Zofia giggled as she soon ran with Zoey to go into the water with the other campers. LJ took a pebble, wound up his arm, and pitched it across the lake surface. Kimberly and Chrissy soon came towards LJ with smiles, standing from both of his sides. LJ looked at both of them...and his eyes nearly shot out of his head.

"My cousin let me borrow this swimsuit," Kimberly said as she wore a pink two piece with hearts on it. "She thought it might look nice on me."

Chrissy's swimsuit looked more like a royal purple dress with her initials on the front and back. LJ nodded ecstatically at this, thumped his foot like a dog and let out a joyful howl, then a wolf whistle.

"As for me, this was made just for me," Chrissy smirked about her own swimsuit. "It makes me look like a princess." 

"No denying THAT..." LJ grinned with a bit of drool coming from his mouth.

"Come on, let's go swimming." Kimberly said.

"No! I can't get wet in this!" Chrissy yelped.

"It's a swimsuit?" Gordon replied.

"It's a swimGOWN, genius!" Chrissy told him. 

"Then if you weren't gonna swim in it, why'd you wear it?" asked Waffle.

"...Don't judge me." Chrissy crossed her arms.

"Oh, well. I'm going swimming." Kimberly smirked as she went to join the others. 

LJ shrugged. "Same here. Cannonball!"

Chrissy backed up against the tree to avoid getting splashed. "Besides, I thought cats hated water?" she then said to Gordon, Waffle, and Mr. Blik. 

"Eh, it's a new decade," Gordon shrugged. "You can either evolve or die."

Chrissy gave a small deadpan glance.

"You have a big head." Waffle randomly told Chrissy. 

"Whatever..." Chrissy responded.

"C'mon...it won't be as much fun without you!" LJ called. "Surely you can work something out?"

Chrissy looked over and soon took out her bag and put on some protective gear like plastic wrap so she could also get in the water without ruining her swimsuit despite it being made for the water.

"I wonder about that girl sometimes." Zofia commented. 

"Same," David replied. "But big bro's never been wrong in his judgement, so I don't say anything about it."

"Aw, that's so good of you, David." Zofia gave a small, proud smile.

Eventually, they were joined by the Eds to have some fun.

"This is already better than the creek back home." Eddy told his friends. 

"I suppose," Double D replied. "At least our troubles haven't followed us here."

"Except for one maybe." Eddy narrowed his eyes.

"All right, make way for the coolest kid in town!" Kevin called out as he used the rope swing next. 

"Not to mention most humble..." Martin muttered.

Kevin soon swung on the rope and jumped into the water with the others. No one seemed to want anything to do with him, not even Angelica, and they swam away from him. 

"Sheesh, tough crowd." Kevin remarked.

Angelica rolled her eyes.

"Hey." Kevin smirked to her. 

Angelica snorted. "Get lost, dweeb." she remarked before swimming off.

"She'll come around." Kevin said to himself.

"At least even Angelica has standards." Zofia commented. 

"Aye." LJ nodded.

Chuckie yelled out as he soon flew in the air and landed on his father's shoulders.

"...How... How is that..?" Double D muttered. "Not possible!" 

"All in the timing, Double D!" Ed replied.

"Um... If you say so, Ed." Double D replied to him.

"Look, son, we're a human pyramid!" Chaz beamed to Chuckie.

"Dorks." Kevin muttered. 

"At least he has a connection to his family." Theo shrugged.

Dil soon came out of the water with Bean and gasped. "Whoa, watch out!" he then cried out. "Loch-Ness Monster!" 

Dib glanced over. "Waitaminute..."

Chuckie and Chaz seemed to be in trouble now.

"You got my back on this one, right, Bean?" Dil asked his new friend.

Bean didn't say anything to him, but nodded in agreement. Dib rolled his eyes.

It was soon starting to get dark.

"Mm... Grilled chicken sandwich with cheese and bacon..." Zofia smiled as she ate her homemade snack. 

"Mm....pizza burger...." LJ drooled as he ate his.

"Peanut butter cheeseburger... How does she do it?" David smiled.

The Schwartz siblings all smiled as they enjoyed their mother's snacks for them. 

"Oh...sorry, Kimberly, did you want to share?" LJ asked.

"Sure, wanna try my taquito?" Kimberly smiled. 

"Okay!" LJ replied.

They both soon broke off parts of their food and traded them to the other before eating them to try them out. 

"Awesome!" LJ exclaimed.

"Hmm... Saucy..." Kimberly smiled. "I've heard of pizza burgers, but I've never actually had one." 

"Well, first time for everything!" LJ beamed.

"I think I'll stick to my Caesar Salad... You guys have fun though." Chrissy said to Kimberly and LJ. 

"Okay!" The both of them smiled.

"Great, a campfire," Cherry smirked. "Time for my scaaary stories from my childhood!"

The others looked to her in suspense.

"Back in my day, there were other Nicktoons besides SpongeBob Squarepants." Cherry smirked with a flashlight to her face.

The others looked excited and cheered to that.

"But also Angela Anaconda..." Cherry smirked.

"NOOOO!!" The others then cried out. 

LJ and David clutched each other and screamed in terror. Cherry soon laughed out loud a bit darkly. 

Eddy just yawned. "So when do we break out the marshmallows?"

"Sweetie, I put marshmallows in the trunk of the car." Cherry said to Zofia.

"Already on it, Mother." Zofia smiled as she went to the car to get the marshmallows. 

Eddy smirked. Zofia then took out some chocolate bars with graham crackers.

"Oh, boy! S'Mores!" Gaz beamed to that. "Who doesn't love S'Mores?" 

Dib nodded. Everyone soon had some S'Mores and began to share them around the campfire.

"Auditions are tomorrow and I expect you all there," Chance said, handing out scripts to everyone from the play he talked about earlier, before he excluded three boys from getting the scripts as they were coming to him. "Except for the Ferguson boys."

"Lucky stiffs." Eddy remarked.

"Chance, who's the lead character?" Susie asked.

"Eliza Lockhart." Chance replied.

"That's who I'll be playing!" Angelica smirked.

"YOU WISH!" Susie and Howard replied.

The two girls then looked at Howard in confusion.

"That part is mine, sisters!" Howard huffed.

"....no comment..." Lionel replied.

They soon began to eat the S'Mores and Phil's new friend soon took his S'More before going off, leaving his toe. 

"At least the turtle is gone." Theo stated.

"Bye, Shelby, it's been real," Phil waved to the turtle. "...Painful."

"Dumped for a S'More," Chuckie sulked. "I guess love is fickle."

"Call THAT love?" LJ remarked.

"Well, Phil felt so attached to that thing." Chuckie shrugged. 

"For whatever crazy reason..." LJ remarked.

"According to the play, the Everwood settlers were migrating Western settlers in the late 1800's when they stopped here to camp," Tommy educated the others. "But, one night, three of them mysteriously disappeared."

"Oh, no! Disappearing pioneers!" Eddy fake-shivered. "SO scary! Yeah, right. I seen scarier stuff in Ed's bedroom."

"What else can you tell us?" Zofia asked Tommy and the others as she sounded curious in the history.

"Well, the rest of the pioneers refused to move on until they found their friends," Lil replied. "So they set up permanent camp at Pioneer Rock, a massive rock shaped like a man's head whose eyes glow when there's a full moon."

"Coolish part is when their horse-covered wagon showed up, there was no one inside." Phil commented.

"Intriguing..." Double D commented.

"Yeah," Zofia smiled. "Gotta love a little history with a little mystery. Mother told us those were the best mysteries she solved with Mystery Inc."

"Dad was a little divisive on most of them." LJ replied.

"Did anyone find the missing settlers?" Chuckie asked.

"No, no, no, but in Westward, No, the missing folks discovered hot springs, opened up the first saloon day spa, and lived wealthily ever after," Chance chuckled. "My own personal spin."

"Nothing says accuracy like a disproportionately happy ending," LJ smirked. "Just ask Anastasia."

"Oh, yeah." Zofia added in agreement. 

"But not the real story," Bean spoke up, which was a bit surprising as they never heard him talk until now. "Legend has it, three of the pioneers were off to find food and supplies. Weeks later, there was still no sign of the missing three. Soon, they ran out of food, went mad, and perished on this very soil. Every full moon, we call it the Zombie Moon, their spirits are said to be haunting these grounds, sucking up the brains of the innocent campers that disappear, only to return as zombies, destined for eternity looking for the missing settlers."

"Whoa, looks like Silent Sam finally speaks after all!" remarked David.

"I figured you should know this, because it's very important." Bean replied.

"....sound advice." LJ replied.

There was then suddenly a loud scream which startled everyone. 

"Knock it off, Lumpy." Eddy glared.

"That wasn't me, Eddy," Ed smiled innocently before gasping. "Maybe it's Evil Tim?!"

"Be serious, Ed." Dib replied.

"It came from over there." Gaz pointed out.

They went to go to the bathrooms where the scream came from.

Charlotte, wearing a bathrobe and a towel wrapped around her head, was now coming out of the bathroom. "Well, apparently that hot nozzle is just for show." she mumbled to herself as she left the restroom.

"No hot water?" Chrissy groaned.

"Aw, maaaan!" she, Eddy, and Mr. Blik frowned.

Zofia and Zoey frowned to each other in concern.

"I swear, that Chrissy girl feels so familiar..." Cherry said to herself. "...Maybe she just reminds me of Pacifica on a bad day."

"Yeah, except nicer." Lionel smirked.

Everyone soon went back to around the campfire until they would get full and eventually go to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

And so, the next day... Everyone soon came to see the cast list to see who was who.

"Um, congratulations, Angelica," Kimberly said. "It looks like you made it."

"I knew I'd get the lead!" Angelica beamed as she then ran off and laughed hysterically.

"Great...she has an ego zenkai." Dib sighed.

"Bad news, I got the worst part of them all: THE BACK END OF A HORSE!" Chuckie groaned.

"At least you're barely involved." LJ shrugged.

"You guys didn't audition?" Zoey asked.

"Oh, I couldn't be in a play just now..." Zofia said, bashfully. "I'm not ready for Broadway."

"Oh, brother." Eddy rolled his eyes to that.

"Plus, this play sounds like it was written by a bunch of drunken orangutans." David added.

"If anything though, I think Susie should've gotten the lead." Double D commented.

"Yeah, Angelica, was like, the opposite of good." Lil agreed. 

"Well, consider the source," Kimi replied. "The same guy who wrote the play is the one who cast her."

"Yeah, shows what he knows about good casting." LJ remarked.

"The only Eliza I'm interested in for this part is Thornberry." David whispered to his siblings.

"True that." LJ replied.

"'Sides, Zo, I thought you'd like to be in the play to impress an actor you oh-so love~" David smirked.

"Aw, knock it off!" Zofia complained.

"Besides, this play is terrible," LJ stated. "At least we won't squander our talents on this hack job. I could write a better play with my buttcheeks!"

The others who were in the play soon went to help out while everyone else went to do their own thing.

"Dad?" Ambrose asked as he was in a boat with his father and a fishing pole.

"Yeah, son?" Drell asked.

"THIS IS BORING!" Ambrose cried out.

"...Yeah, you're right." Drell sighed.

"Why are we doing this?!" Ambrose complained.

"I'm sorry, Brose, I read that fathers do this with their sons in this world." Drell replied.

"Well, maybe try finding your own way of spending time with each other." Lionel suggested.

"Right... Uh..." Drell said. "Help me turn this boat around?"

"Why don't you swim?" Cherry smirked.

"...You know why," Drell glared. "I told you guys about that time when I helped out with Maui and Moana."

"Y'know, that whole line about Maui can do anything, but float gets darker when you realize his parents tried to drown him." Lionel stated.

"I know," Drell replied. "Maui happens to be an old friend of mine."

"Ah, I see." Lionel nodded.

Cherry soon used her own magic to bring the boat back on dock.

"Where is everybody?" Ambrose asked, looking around.

"Probably at the play." Cherry guessed.

"I meant everyone with common sense." Ambrose replied.

"Well, LJ, Zofia, and David are trading some stories with their friends to their new one called Zoey Hanson." Cherry said.

"Oh, that's nice." Lionel replied.

"Probably some of their adventures." Cherry smiled.

"Well, I'm bored," Lionel shrugged. "Whaddya wanna do now?"

"I dunno, what do you wanna do?" Cherry smirked.

"Shit...I was hoping you would know." Lionel replied.

"Well, if you want... We could have stroll in the woods... And see what is mating season up close?" Cherry winked as if to hint at something.

"Oh....!" Lionel realized with a grin. "Sounds cool to me!"

"Yes... Let's have a... Walk... Shall we?" Cherry smirked.

Ambrose soon went to see the others as they hung out with Zoey.

"And then, Petrie and I made the sharptooth fall off the cliff, but then he caught us!" LJ exclaimed. "I'd never been so scared before, cuz he was dragging us to what seemed like our dooms!"

"Goodness!" Zoey gasped. "That must've been a really intense dream."

"Dream? Oh, no, no, no," Zofia shook her head. "It was all too real."

"Yup," LJ replied. "But Chuckie and Petrie saved me when they realized that they could fly!"

"Whoa..." Zoey said. "And I thought my friends and I... Erm... Had interesting adventures."

"Cool, so you're from another team of adventurers?" LJ asked. "Small multiverse!"

"I suppose you could say that," Zoey said. "I have a bit of a secret..."

LJ glanced around. "Like what...? Promise not to tell, from one adventurer to another."

"I appreciate that, but... Um..." Zoey stammered.

"You can trust us, I'm great with secrets!" Waffle smiled.

"Mostly cuz he always forgets them." Mr. Blik replied.

"Well... I have these special powers... It's not just me, but my friends too," Zoey said to them. "You see... We have these special powers. You see, my DNA is merged with an Iriomote Wild Cat, and I can transform if I say some magic words."

"What words?" Mr. Blik asked.

Zoey sighed before saying them so she could demonstrate for them. "Mew Mew style, Mew Mew grace, Mew Mew Power in your face."

Eddy tried to stifle his snickering at that.

"Is that all?" LJ asked. "I've heard worse, honestly. Like the camp director's play."

"I just wasn't sure if you guys would accept or not," Zoey said. "It's easier to talk about this with my friends back home since they have the same ability, only with different animals."

"Eh, it's fine," LJ shrugged. "Maybe we could have a group adventure sometime."

"Well, thank you," Zoey said before looking to Eddy as he laughed. "Are you just about down?!"

"Aw, chill out, Catgirl." Eddy laughed at her.

Dib shrugged. "Give him time..." he replied.

Zoey soon turned herself back to normal. 

"I think it's kinda cool," Kimberly smiled. "Cat powers... My neighbors are cats, so it's pretty nice."

"Oh, they're not your cats?" Zoey asked about Gordon, Waffle, and Mr. Blik.

"No, I'm just a neighbor," Kimberly replied. "We hang out all the time."

"Aye!" Gordon nodded.

"Since Mrs. Cramdilly kicked the bucket, she left her inheritance to us!" Mr. Blik replied. "So we're LIVIN' LARGE!"

"Oh... I see..." Zoey said. "I'm sorry for your loss though."

"Eh, it's fine," Waffle replied. "Her butler Hovis takes care of us. He's like the dad we never knew!"

"Well, that's good," Zoey smiled. "I'll have to see if I can visit sometime."

"Awesome!" LJ whooped.

Zoey smiled bashfully to them as she felt glad to make some new friends since her other friends couldn't make it.

"So...what now?" David asked.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna check and see how the play's doing since everyone else is there." Gaz said as she soon walked off from the campsite.

"Sounds like a plan," Theo replied. "Maybe we can all riff on it."

"Those were great stories though, guys," Zoey said. "I liked the one about the dinosaurs."

"Aw, thanks." LJ replied.

The others decided to hang out by the play just for the heck of it.

Tommy was filming the actors on stage who were the parents right now for the time being.

"DOOOORKS!!" Kevin yelled. "Lame-o-rama!"

Martin and Jenny rolled their eyes.

"You could use a lesson in being cool." Kevin said.

"You could use a lesson in going away," Jenny said, quoting from her mother. "It's really easy. You just turn around, and start walking in any other direction than here."

"Ha!" Martin replied. "Good one!"

"Dorks." Kevin glared.

"You keep using that word... I don't think it means what you think it means." Jenny smirked, quoting from The Princess Bride.

"Perhaps if you are looking for a dork, then check the mirror," Martin replied. "You act so cool, but you get your kicks out of making fun of others. Doesn't make you cool. It makes you a prick."

"Excuse me," Kevin glared. "You can't talk to me like that."

"What're you gonna do about it?" Martin scoffed.

"Yeah," Jenny replied. "Two of us, one of you."

Kevin glared at the Mazinsky twins who just looked unimpressed with him.

Martin smirked. "So get a new attitude, we don't like your current one, and I imagine that nobody else does, either."

"At least I'm popular!" Kevin glared before storming off. "I oughta pound you guys later on."

"Try it," Martin replied. "Popularity only gets you so far."

Kevin grumbled as he soon stormed off.

"Good riddance!" Jenny rolled her eyes.

"To bad rubbish, definitely." Martin replied as he slapped fives with Jenny.

"So, uh, how would you feel if I got in the play?" Jenny asked bashfully.

"Hey, I'd say for you to make the best of a bad situation." Martin replied.

"I know it sounds cheesy and lame, lots of school or camp plays are, but... I thought I'd give it a shot," Jenny said. "It can't be worse than High School Musical."

"Nothing is worse than THAT." Martin replied.

"I just thought maybe I could test it out," Jenny continued. "Mom and Dad were in a play once about how... Uh... However you say it... That island they used to live on was founded."

"Albonquentine?" Martin asked.

"Yeah," Jenny said. "Why can't I pronounce that?!"

"I dunno," Martin smirked. "I'm the smart one."

Jenny rolled her eyes as Martin playfully tussled her hair.

Jenny soon walked over to Chance. "Um... Could I maybe be in the play too?" she then asked.

"Hmm... Well... I suppose I could find something for you to do, little lady if it means that much to ya." Chance replied.

Martin shrugged. "Ah, what the hell. Hey, Chance! Make that a twofer." he called.

"Hmm... Let me check something for ya." Chance told them before walking off.

"Ya mean it, Marty?" Jenny smiled to her brother.

"Sure!" Martin replied. "We might as well make the best of a bad situation together!"

Jenny gave a small smile to her brother in thanks. Martin playfully tussled her hair again.

"Quit it!" Jenny cried out, but giggled as it kind of tickled.

"Ah, alright." Martin replied.

"Brothers." Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Sisters." Martin retorted. 

They then both laughed.

"Jenny Mazinsky: Movie Star!" Jenny proclaimed as she climbed up on stage. 

"And Marty Mazinsky, co-star." Martin added as he stood nearby.

The adults chuckled as that looked a bit cute.

"We've been traveling for 190 days." Didi said.

"I say we set up camp for the night." Howard suggested.

"The physician/barber has a point." Randy agreed.

"I agree with the Candy Butcher." Chaz added.

Kira coughed in response.

"That was the most weirdly-unconvincing cough ever..." Martin muttered.

"Oh, three days of rehearsal and this is all you got?!" Chance complained to his actors. "Remember, Kira, you are consulting, so put a little feeling in those coughs? Charlotte, what was rewrite on the town idiot speech?"

"Oh, boy, a primadonna director... Oh, well, I guess it's a price to pay to being a movie star." Jenny sighed to herself. 

"Question is, are we willing to pay it?" Martin added.

"I still want to be an actress," Jenny said. "This is my new dream!"

"Hmm....alright then," Martin shrugged. "If we're gonna dream, then let's dream real big!"

"I'm up for it!" Jenny beamed.

"At least he was right about the cough part," Martin said. "Sorry, Mrs. Finster."

Kira sighed. "Actually, I think it might be because of the pollen." she replied.

"I upgraded my character to the town idiot savant!" Charlotte glared at Chance. "Maybe, if you cast me in the proper role, it'd be easier for me to say the lines!"

"Sorry I got the part you wanted, Charlotte," Chaz frowned to the blonde woman. "But if I do say so myself, I was born to play Saddle Andy."

Martin sighed.

"Moving on," Chance directed. "Settlers who go missing, stage right, please."

Susie and Angelica soon came onto stage together. Jenny soon came beside Susie, pretending to look angered and outraged. Martin stood behind Angelica, making goofy faces.

"How can you say that, Eliza?!" Susie recited. "Stay here in the middle of nowhere?! We will be risking the lives of our children!"

"I, Eliza Lockhart, am only concerned for my fellow man and fellow horse." Angelica replied.

Martin made mocking hand gestures behind her. Jenny chuckled, trying to hold it in, but failed a bit. Phil and Chuckie soon came in as the horse. 

"And enter, the horse, parts one and two." LJ commented.

"Too bad we can't beat it." Gaz smirked a bit darkly. 

"Yeah," Theo added. "It's not dead, but its performance IS."

Phil soon came on stage with the front end of the horse and Chuckie slowly came behind.

"It's your line, horse!" Chance whispered loudly.

"Neigh." Phil and Chuckie replied before walking off stage and knocking down Tommy and Chance who both groaned. 

"Cut!" Tommy called out.

"Well, that was particularly...painful to watch." LJ noted.

Jenny pouted as she began to look sad.

"But you were perfect! Uh... Oscar! Oscar!" Martin smiled, trying to cheer up his sister.

"Yeah, when I was talking about painful, I was referring to the horse!" LJ added. "Not you, Jenny. You were the best thing about this!"

"Really, guys?" Jenny soon smiled again.

"Oh, no doubt about it!" LJ and Martin replied.

"Aww... Thanks, guys!" Jenny beamed. 

"Phew!" Everyone else sighed since Jenny was happy again.

"Bullet dodged." David remarked.

"I gotta keep my sister happy." Martin said to his friends.

"Understandable," LJ replied. "I hate seeing my sister sad, too."

Later on that night, things were winding down as it was about time to go to sleep. Lionel had just put on his pajamas and gone to his cabin to retire to bed for the night.

"Good night, kids!" Cherry called out.

"Good night, Mom!/Mrs. Schwartz!" The campers replied.

"Night, kiddos!" Lionel called out.

"Night, Dad/Mr. Schwartz!" The kids replied.

Cherry and Lionel soon climbed into bed together and smiled once they fell asleep.

In the boys' cabin, the boys were asleep minus Tommy who woken up by Dil.

"T, you asleep?" Dil asked his brother.

"Barely awake," Tommy told his younger brother. "And Chance is busting you for bailing on rehearsal, he's gonna make you scrape gum off the theater seats."

LJ yawned. "Bummer for you, buddy."

"He calls that a punishment?" Dil chuckled. "Camp is sweet!"

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd swear you grew up next to a power plant." Tommy replied.

"That is the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," Dil replied. "Listen, T, ya gotta start rolling tape. There's something way weird about this camp, and it's not just the freezer cabin or the fact Bigfoot and friends are always hanging around. My gut tells me the crazy old lady is right: Camp Everwood is HAUNTED!"

"The only scary thing is about this place is tomorrow night, that we will be preforming the worst musical ever written in front of a live audience." Tommy replied.

"It pains me, T," Dil sighed before he went back to bed. "So young... So cynical..."

"Dil has a point," LJ yawned. "I mean, the musical does suck balls, but seriously, you ARE pretty darn cynical now--a total 180 from the adventure-seeking kid I used to know."

"What are you talking about?" Tommy asked. "I haven't changed... Much."

"Other than the purple hair and height increase?" LJ shrugged. "Sure. But when I knew you, you never gave up even when the odds were stacked against you. Just because you get older doesn't mean you have to become so cynical. Like you used to say, a baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do."

"I have no memory of ever saying that..." Tommy slanted his eyes suspiciously.

"Well, you said it a lot when you were a baby," replied LJ. "Like how when Chuckie was trying to make it so his dad didn't marry this evil Coco lady, so you guys commandeered a giant robot Reptar and drove it through Paris. You probably don't remember cuz you were babies at that point."

Tommy blinked a bit, thinking about it. "Did I really do all that?" he then asked.

"Sure did," LJ replied. "You and your pals were the most amazing group of infants to ever walk on two feet. Granted, there were a few dark moments in your adventures, when you tried to get rid of Dil when you felt like he was being troublesome, but you eventually made up just in time for Spike and your dad to save you all from a ferocious wolf!"

"Really...?" Tommy asked with wide eyes. "No way!"

"Yeah." LJ replied.

"Oh... Well... Uh... Listen, I'm tired, I'm gonna go to sleep." Tommy said.

"Alright," LJ replied. "Night, buddy." he turned over and went back to sleep.

Tommy thought about what LJ said for a bit before he soon drifted off to sleep.

There were some strange noises going on that night though. The wind whistled, and there was the sound of a horse neighing.

"Did you guys hear that? Dil, you awake?" Tommy asked.

Dil grunted. "I am now..."

"Déjà vu." David muttered.

"There's something out there," Tommy said. "I think we need to check it out."

"....Well, it's not like I needed sleep anyways," Theo yawned. "Besides, my brothers are probably gonna go see the play anyway."

"Come on then, let's go." Tommy said, grabbing his flashlight.

And so the group headed out. Theo looked around as they gathered together to check this out. LJ and David joined in, feeling sure nothing was out there though.

"Hello?" Tommy called.

"Anyone out there?" Theo added.

"Olly-olly-oxen-free!" David added.

They soon heard some neighing and a covered wagon came by with a horse just like in Bean's story. Tommy shined the light in the buggy and screamed since nobody was in there. The horse neighed and galloped away.

"Whoa..." LJ gulped. "What would a horse be doing here without a rider...?"

"Ghost Pony Rider?" David wondered.

"Uh... It has to be some kind of a prank, right?" Theo replied. "My brothers probably did this."

"Nah...even THEY aren't this good," LJ replied. "Wonder where cousin Aki and Es are? We could sure use their help."

"Can't ya call 'em?" David suggested.

"Hmm...good idea." LJ replied as he took out his phone and dialed their number.

Akito and Estelle were shown at home together, fast asleep. They soon opened their eyes and they answered the phone together. "Hello?" they then mumbled slightly.

"Crap, I knew I shouldn't have called so late," LJ's voice swore over the line. "Well...cousins, if you're listening, I'm with a group of friends and we're investigating this creepy mystery around this place called Camp Everwood. Honestly, I just hope you get this, because if we're being real here, I'm pretty freaked out. I'm saying that we need your help, but you can sleep as much as you wanna, you don't need to take part in any camp activities or nothing, promise."

Akito and Estelle looked to each other.

"I better check this out," Akito told his twin sister. "This doesn't sound too good."

"Alright, but I'm coming with," Estelle replied. "Besides, we get to sleep...through daytime. I say that makes up for missing out on this sleep."

"So sorry to wake you guys up," LJ said. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

"Ah, just me preforming for Swan Lake." Estelle smiled about her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina someday.

"Oh...Okay." LJ replied.

"We'll be over as soon as possible." Akito told LJ.

"Primo." LJ sighed before hanging up.

Akito and Estelle hung up themselves, but of course, it wouldn't take long for them to show up as Akito was almost as fast as Sonic the Hedgehog.

"As per norm, your timing is impeccable." LJ noted with a yawn.

"Sorry I'm late. Traffic." Akito smirked as he came with Estelle.

"Don't sweat it." LJ shrugged.

Estelle let out a small yawn while looking around the campsite. "Hm... This must be what Camp Everfree was like." she then commented.

"Possibly," LJ shrugged. "Except no magic. Just spooky."

"Hmm... Wonder what could be going on?" Estelle pondered. 

"I better do a little detective work." Akito suggested.

"Sounds like the order of the day." David noted.

"Don't worry," Akito smiled. "You guys know my dad's one of the world's best detectives. I got this."

"Alright then!" LJ replied.

Akito soon took out his notepad and a detective kit to get ready, dropping his Pokeballs. "Wuh-oh!"

Tyraniter soon came out and snarled which scared Tommy a bit.

LJ sighed. "Tyrannitar...good to see you. I remember when I was on an adventure with you guys in the Pokémon world. Strange...but enchanting." he remarked.

Tyraniter looked to LJ before hugging him.

"Aww, he remembers you." Estelle smiled to that.

LJ blushed, petting him on the head. "Good to see you too, hombré." he remarked.

Akito picked up his Pokeballs and was about to return Tyraniter, but found himself unable to as he allowed the reunion right now.

"...Ah, what the heck?" Estelle smiled before letting out her Ursaring who she had named Teddy.

David gulped in surprise at the Ursaring. "Well, I suppose we can discuss our findings with you and the others tomorrow..."

Teddy leaned over to David before licking his face with a smile.

David shuddered a little. "Alright, fine, we heard a horse outside, so we checked out here and saw a horse and buggy, but with no rider, then Tommy yelped and the horse took off."

"Hmm... I see... Where did the horse go?" Akito asked.

"We... We don't know..." Tommy shrugged.

"It was like it vanished." LJ added.

"Hmm... Interesting," Akito said. "I probably would call it a ghost horse, but I'm not certain."

"Well..." David said. "I figured we could at least get some shuteye beforehand, but it's funny. I don't feel tired at..." And then he collapsed on the ground, asleep.

LJ soon picked up his younger brother.

"Right..." Akito said. "Hm... Estelle, you think you wanna spend the night here?"

"Eh, it couldn't hurt," Estelle replied. "Better leave a note for Mom and Dad though."

"No problem," Akito nodded before putting his notepad in his pocket and zipped back home, unlocked the door, and wrote a note by putting it on the fridge, and then zipped back over in just three seconds. "Done."

LJ rolled his eyes. "Let's just go get some shut-eye."

"Come on then." Akito replied.

The Fudo twins split up for the night to get some sleep with their cousins. And eventually, the night gave way to the next morning.


	5. Chapter 5

Tommy came to talk with the girls in their cabin about what he and the others saw last night. "It was the creepiest thing I've ever seen and it proves that Camp Everwood is haunted." Tommy told the others.

"Welcome to the dark side, Bro." Dil told his brother.

"Anyway, there's a zombie moon tonight, and if I can find this rock, it's a textbook-solid set for my movie!" Tommy concluded.

"But what if the legend is true?" Chuckie asked. "We could be risking our lives!"

"Chuckie, you'll be my assistant director." Tommy decided.

"Well, gang," Akito soon said as he came out. "It looks like we've got another mystery on our hands. Heh... Felt kinda cool saying that."

"Man, are you kidding me?" David asked. "Like, we could be risking our very lives!"

"It's worth it!" Akito smirked.

The others glanced at him.

"Oh, I don't mean that in a bad way, just... Ugh... Let's try and solve this mystery without getting hurt or lose any brain cells in the process," Akito replied. "Let's make this 'What's New, Scooby-Doo?', not 'Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue'."

LJ and David nodded at that.

"So, what do you think we should do now?" Tommy asked.

"Whoever told you about this whole Zombie Moon stuff," Akito replied. "Talk to the source."

"It was this kid named Bean," LJ explained. "He didn't talk much before he mentioned that."

"Hmm..." Akito paused. "A quiet one, huh? Anyone else you think can maybe help you guys out?"

"Well...the camp director is doing a play about how the settlers founded this camp, but he tacked on an out-of-place happy ending," LJ replied. "Because nothing says historically accurate like the animated films about the Titanic, or Anastasia."

"Ah... The reform of Uncle Sombra..." Akito smiled, thinking about the time with Anastasia, and not Cinderella's formerly wicked step-sister.

LJ twitched nervously at the sound of his name.

"Oh, uh, sorry, buddy." Akito said.

"It...it's fine," LJ replied. "I still get nervous about him, considering he's one of the only beings who came close to killing all our parents."

"I know, I know," Akito said. "Mom and Dad didn't tell us about him for a while, and we became friends with him for a while until he tried to shutdown the Plaza Hotel which would've made Eloise, Giselle, and Nanny homeless."

"That's rough, buddy," LJ replied. "Honestly, maybe someday I'll be able to look past that, but it's gonna take me a good, long while."

"Come on, let's focus back on the Zombie Moon, is there anyone else we can talk to?" Akito asked.

"Uh, maybe that crazy old lady?" Theo suggested.

"If we can get a coherent answer out of her, maybe." LJ replied.

They soon went to go see the kooky old lady for help about the legend of Camp Everwood. Ellie was playing the piano as everyone at the play went to put on their costumes.

"Now, I done told you ev'rythang ah know about them pioneers." Ellie replied.

"Just one more question, E," LJ remarked. "What can you tell us of Pioneer Rock?"

"During the Zombie Moon, at that man-faced rock the wonderin's found, you better turn around before sun up or you ain't never comin' back." Ellie smirked.

LJ and David looked at each other before gulping nervously.

"Last question, Ellie," Tommy then said. "Has anyone from Camp Everwood ever disappeared?"

"Yep," Ellie nodded. "Some of those loud and rowdy kids hikin' in these woods and they saw that rock. They strode onto it, the Spirits' Headquarters. When them kids finally come back to camp, they was all stupid like, like they don't never got no brain or nuthin'." she then concluded as she went back to playing the piano.

"Like they don't got no brain or nothin....?" LJ gulped.

"Ro rain or ruthin." David parroted nervously.

"Pretty scary, huh?" Tommy asked.

"The rock thing? Yeah." Phil replied.

"No, the triple negative thing," Tommy explained. "Don't never got no brain or nothing, not easy to pull off the funniest thing." 

"Don't never got no brain or nuthin'." Tommy, Chuckie, and Phil repeated.

"Like, that tears it," LJ stated. "We can't go up there! We like our brains!"

"Reah! Ri rust rarted really rusing rine!" David added.

"Is he gonna do this the whole time?" Akito asked as David imitated Scooby-Doo.

"Eh, just for awhile," David shrugged. "I was really getting into it."

"All right then, guess I'm a guy version of Velma." Akito replied.

"Except without all the annoying skepticism!" David added.

Akito nodded as he soon took notes on what Ellie said to them.

Chance soon blew a whistle to get everyone's attention. "From the top of the show!" he then told everyone.

Jenny gasped and soon went to run over as she felt like this was her big moment.

Martin went with her. "Time to make this play worthwhile..."

"I know this looks bad, but lots of actors and actresses have slip-ups in their career now and then," Jenny said. "Like Malcolm McDowell when he took a part in Milk Money."

"Yeah, you're right," Martin replied. "If he could make something huge of himself, then so can we! Even if we gotta start from way down below!"

"Mm-hmm," Jenny smiled and nodded. "They won't mention this when I win my very own Oscar."

"Eh, those film awards shows rarely acknowledge animated films," Martin shrugged. "I don't really take them seriously as a result."

"It's my density!" Jenny proclaimed.

"You mean your destiny?" Martin asked.

"...Did I really just say density?" Jenny face-palmed herself.

"Happens to the best of us." Martin shrugged.

"Anyway... Off I go!" Jenny proclaimed before dashing off. "My new home of Hollywood awaits!"

"Yeah, same here!" Martin replied as he went off behind her.

Eventually, the cast began to rehearse for the big play.

"Alright...this is the first step to the big leagues..." Martin steeled himself.

Stu bumped into Howard because he couldn't keep up the dance, causing Howard to knock over the house set.

"My set!" Lucy cried.

"Oh, no..." Jenny frowned.

"Well, every road to fame is paved with plenty of bumps..." Martin shrugged.

"I guess so." Jenny replied.

"That's our cue." Tommy told his friends.

"For what?" Chuckie asked.

"To make a run for it." Tommy cued.

"Good idea," LJ replied. "Kimberly, Chrissy, we're heading out."

"All right. Coming!" Chrissy replied.

"Me too." Kimberly added as she looked ready to go herself.

"And so, we venture forth," Akito announced triumphantly. "Towards the unknown!"

LJ and David gulped. "Like....lucky us."

"Reah, a rouple of rucky rucks." David nodded.

They soon ventured out into the woods.

Of course, once there, Tommy began to film all around. An owl hooted as it flew through the treetops.

Dil graciously stepped aside. "Lead the way, Brother Bean!" he announced.

Bean shrugged and he did as told as the others soon began to follow after him. The others looked around before following Bean as they went into the deep woods. Deeper and deeper they went, as Tommy kept on filming--until they saw something move behind a tree.

"Something's back there!" Gaz pointed out.

"Maybe it's a Pokemon?" Akito smirked hopefully. 

"I doubt it around here actually." Estelle said to her twin brother.

Turns out it was Charlotte, Stu, and Howard.

"Uh-oh..." Lil gulped.

"Busted..." Phil added.

"We were just looking for--" Tommy began.

"Save it," Charlotte cut her nephew off. "We know what you're up to and we want in."

"Um....come again?" Theo asked curiously.

"I believe you know what she means, sweetie." Colleen said as she also came in.

"Oh! Uh... Hi, Mom." Theo smiled sheepishly.

"I'm giving up the theater, and moving on to films," Howard announced dramatically. "You ARE making a movie, right?"

"Sweet!" Tommy replied.

"Anything to keep from practicing my shuffle-wall-change." Stu added. 

"I haven't had a hot shower in days," Charlotte stated. "And if there's any truth to this underground hot springs rumor, I'm gonna find it!"

"Okay, settlers, let's make this movie!" Akito proclaimed. "Tommy?"

"Already on it, Akito." Tommy smiled.

They soon walked along the full moon as they explored the forest together.

"This is AWESOME!" Tommy remarked. "With everyone in costume it looks just like the real thing! Bank me a solid and talk old-old-OLD school!"

"Take hold the foliage, town idiot!" Howard said, pulling back a branch, only for it to smack Charlotte in the face by accident.

"Um, how do we know we're going the right way?" asked David.

"We might not." Zofia said as she soon came with Zoey.

"Well...that's awfully comforting." remarked Eddy, as he, Ed, and Double D followed behind.

"You didn't have to come." Chrissy glanced at them.

"What? And stay for the crappy play?" Eddy remarked. "Forget it! We find that hot spring, we can charge admission for people to get in, and we'll be doing the backstroke in a pool full of jawbreakers!"

Zofia just rolled her eyes, not sure what to make of Eddy.

"We shall use-eth, the light of the full moon-eth to guide us through the wilder-eth!" Stu replied. 

"Well said, Smithy Spencer." Tommy smirked to his dad.

"I think-eth, I shalt be sick-eth." Eddy muttered under his breath.

Ed randomly laughed. Tommy yelped as he soon tripped.

"You okay, Tommy?" Akito asked.

"I'm fine." Tommy grunted slightly.

Chuckie bent down to tie his shoes and Tommy tripped over him and knocked the camera out of his hand. "I'm just gonna go ahead and fire myself." he then decided.

"Good call." Tommy replied.

"I wonder what people do who aren't good at anything?" Chuckie asked.

"Chuckie, you're good at LOTS of stuff," Tommy replied. "Like WHAT? Name one thing," Chuckie retorted. "Anybody have a clue?"

Everyone just looked oddly at him.

"You're a good friend." Tommy suggested.

"Yeah, sure, that and a quarter will give me a sweet and sour jawbreaker with a bubble gum center!" Chuckie huffed before storming off.

"Jawbreakers?! Where?!" Ed beamed.

"Save your energy, Ed." Double D replied.

"Okay." Ed smiled.

They soon kept walking onward. A buck was soon shown in the forest.

"A deer... Oh... I wonder if it's Bambi?" Zofia smiled.

"Bambi?" Eddy snorted. "You mean that wimpy little deer?"

"Sure, the wimpy deer who lost his mom and had to learn how to survive on his own, then grew up into a super-tough stag with kickass antlers," LJ smirked sarcastically. "But sure, that was totally wimpy."

"Whatever." Eddy shrugged and rolled his eyes.

The buck soon came over, making Eddy's eyes widen as he didn't expect that to happen. The buck seemed to look to Akito, Estelle, LJ, and Zofia before smiling to them like he knew them.

"Um...hi..." LJ replied.

The buck soon came out and nuzzled to them.

"...Bambi..." Estelle whispered as she gently pet the buck.

"Um....hey, buddy," LJ stated calmly. "Been awhile."

"You two certainly have grown," Bambi said to them. "It seems like yesterday I met your parents for the first time, and they helped me up against Ronno... What a bully!"

"Yeah, good thing they gave that little creep the what-for." LJ nodded.

The others in the group looked at the cousins like they were crazy.

"Are they actually talking to that deer?" Eddy asked.

"Looks like they're communicating with him." Kimberly replied.

Eddy looked annoyed.

"I think it's lovely." Kimberly smiled.

"You also believe in unicorns," Eddy rolled his eyes. "When are you gonna grow up? You're worse than Jimmy and Sarah."

"Lay off, Eddy," snapped LJ. "Just cuz someone gets older doesn't mean they have to become some cynical hipster. You can grow up without giving up what you believe in....I should know."

Kimberly gave a very grateful smile from that. "Thank you, LJ."

LJ smiled. "No problem, Kimberly." he replied.

A doe soon came out to see Bambi before they soon nuzzled each other and twin fawns came along.

"These must be Geno and Gurri." Zofia smiled to the younger deer.

"I take it they're your offspring?" LJ asked.

"Yes," Faline smiled. "This is our boy, Geno, and our girl, Gurri."

Akito and Estelle looked excited themselves since the fawns were twins just like them.

"A couple of twin fauns," remarked David. "What are the odds?"

"Seems like we've been down this path before," Charlotte remarked. "Are we lost....eth?"

"Maybe we better go back-eth?" Chuckie suggested. "If we don't get out of the woods by sun up, we may never get out."

"Maybe that might be a good idea?" Double D replied.

Dil suddenly shuddered as he stepped forward. "You guys feel that? Something's pulling me...like an invisible force..." he explained.

"We're close, I can feel it too." Charlotte agreed.

The adults soon went after Dil while the others looked confused at first. Tommy turned his camera back on and went after the others as they ran. 

"Oh, no. Maybe it's a ghost." Eddy rolled his eyes.

"What's going on up there?" Tommy asked.

"Dead-end!" Dil exclaimed, before pointing in another direction. "There's the rock!"

"Perfect." Zoey pouted.

"There's the rock!" Dil gasped as he took a look.

Everyone turned around and Tommy filmed the rock in which had a face on it.

"It's amazing." Charlotte marveled.

"And creepy." Lil added.

"And as smooth as Charlotte's forehead." Stu commented before smirking to his sister-in-law.

"Oh....you really think so?" Charlotte asked.

Bean stepped towards the sign and began undoing the chains.

"I've got to get to that rock." Dil vowed.

"But how?" asked Phil.

"There's gotta be another way up," remarked Tommy. "And if the pioneers got through, so can we!"

They soon went to continue walking forward until they seemed to be blocked by Bean.

"Get out of the way, man!" Eddy complained.

Bean didn't say anything and soon showed them a different path.

"Hallelujah!" Dil cheered. "Brother Bean found a path!"

And so they went down that path, with Lil winking at Bean on the way in. Bean gave a small smile as he followed after them.

They soon walked off through a rather long trail which seemed darker and longer than the one they were on before. They passed over a branch, which seemed to snap, startling the group as several bats flew over their heads.

"Every time it seems like we're almost there, we're not!" Dil commented, putting his flashlight up to his face.

Bean nodded to that in agreement.

"Thrilling..." Chrissy sighed.

Meanwhile over at the camp, everyone was getting ready for the big play.

"It's almost curtain time and half of my cast isn't here," Chance was becoming overwhelmed. "Does anyone want to tell me why this is happening?!"

"Maybe they had better things to do..." Dib muttered under his throat.

"He's here." Lucy said.

"Who?" Didi asked.

"His uncle's cousin's friend who sponsors for casting director!" Chance and the others replied.

"What will I do without the rest of my actors?" Chance sighed. "Oh, my play is ruined! My hopes, my dreams, dashed against the rocks like Wayward Clam!"

Jenny looked a bit unhappy as this made it sound like the play would be cancelled.

"Ugh..." Martin sighed, but he wanted to make his sister happy so she could live her dream and soon spoke up. "Sir, why don't you recast?" he then suggested. "I mean, after all, my sister and I could take over the parts that are now open." he explained.

"Recast! Duh!" Chance replied. "Why didn't I think of that? Drew, you play the first settler in despair, Kimi, you are the second, and I guess I'll play Smithy Spencer."

"I didn't see that one coming." Betty deadpanned.

Martin face-palmed at that.

Back with the others, someone stepped on a twig which startled them all.

"What was that?!" Colleen gasped.

"It was just a twig, Mom." Theo said to her.

The bats soon swarmed overhead them before they all ducked, but they seemed to come down around Zofia since she was so much like her mother.

LJ glanced at one on his shoulder. "Must be in the genetics..." he stated.

"Must be." Zofia nodded in agreement.

Chrissy shrieked in terror.

"Chrissy, no, you'll scare them!" Zofia told the girl.

But the bats had already been startled, and they flapped about wildly as they scattered and dispersed.

"Oh... Poor bats..." Zofia frowned.

"No kidding," replied LJ. "They only drink cow blood!"

Chrissy still shuddered from being around bats.

"Relax, they won't hurt you." LJ advised.

"Whatever! Just keep them away from me!" Chrissy complained.

"I think you're fine." Zoey sighed to the blonde girl.

"Besides, I would never let anything happen to you." LJ added.

"Really?" Chrissy smiled to that. "Aww... You are so sweet, I could just eat you up!"

"Oh, no, Chrissy's a zombie!" Dil panicked at first.

"It's just a figure of speech," LJ advised. "You'll understand when you get to be my age."

"Uh... All right..." Dil said. "It can't be worse than Aunt Miriam's kisses, right?" He and Tommy shuddered at that.

An owl soon hooted which made the adults look to each other.

"Okay, I think it's time to head back now." Colleen suggested.

"But we're almost there!" Lil remarked. "For real this time!"

The kids headed off, and after glancing back, the adults followed behind. Colleen looked back before sighing as she joined the other adults.

Meanwhile, at the play...

"I, Eliza Lockhart, decree that it is indeed inevitable we find this new town they call 'New Yorkshire'!" Angelica came on stage while the piano was played and the other campers had to sit down to the show.

"Guess our chance at stardom has gone kaputsky." Martin stated with a sigh.

"It's been cloudy and cold for six weeks in a row!" Susie added.

"Makes a fellow wish he were in California." Randy added.

There was soon a musical number and Jenny joined in anyway, even though it was quite cheesy. With a shrug, Martin joined in, even though he and Jenny weren't assigned any parts. The older people in the audience seemed to like the song until Chaz sang about 'dried bison dung'.

"We'll be right back after we gather food, water, and firewood." Drew said as he took out a slip of paper from his hat. 

"And don't go a-eatin' all the berries while we're gone, I counted 'em." Kimi added before she walked off with the Mazinsky twins.

"Well, that stunk on ice," Martin commented. "I wonder if we should have tagged along with the others instead?"

"I just wanted to be an actress!" Jenny cried to her brother.

"Hey, so did I," Martin replied, trying to comfort his sister. "But like you said, everyone starts from the bottom! Nothing says we can't make our way up!"

"You don't think my big moment will be ruined, do you?" Jenny sniffled a little.

"Not if I can help it," Martin replied. "And I can."

"Oh, Martin... Thank you." Jenny said softly.

"Hey, I'm your brother," replied Martin. "I'd do anything to help you out."

"You're so sweet," Jenny said. "I guess you wanna beat it here, huh?"

"Well....do you?" Martin asked.

"I really wanna act... But I don't know..." Jenny sighed.

"Ask yourself, do you feel like you're really ready?" Martin told her.

Jenny soon paused for a moment as she looked around the stage. Martin waited for her to answer, not rushing her, though it did feel like forever.

"Maybe next year." Jenny soon finally said.

"Hey...something better will come up," Martin advised. "It always DOES."

Jenny gave a small smile in response to that, feeling hopeful again.

"Besides, I promise the Mazinsky twins are gonna rise to fame someday, somehow!" Martin replied. "Now let's go find our hombrés."

Jenny gave a small smile and soon followed after Martin once it was time for them to get going.


	6. Chapter 6

The others walked among each other as they heard ominous and frightening sounding howls.

"If only this rock could talk," Dil remarked. "The things he'd say!"

"I get the feeling it would mostly be a comedy routine about how people are always rock-climbing," LJ stated. "And then it would probably include, what if WE climbed on THEM? See how they'd like it, huh?"

"We better not have any paper." Zofia said.

"Paper?" David asked.

"Paper beats rock! Ha!" Zofia laughed.

David gave a small chuckle at that.

"You're wrong, Stu," Charlotte said. "This baby puts my forehead to shame," she then noticed that her brother-in-law went missing. "Stu?"

"Uh, where's Dad?" Tommy asked as he looked around with his camera.

"Smithy Spencer went missing!" Howard cried out which echoed all around them.

LJ held onto Kimberly protectively at that. "Then we gotta make sure nobody else goes missing!" he replied.

Kimberly blushed from the holding.

"Stay close to me, Teddy." Colleen told her youngest son.

"My name is Theo!" Theo cried out to his mother.

"At least your brothers aren't here to see this." David noted.

"Tell me about it." Theo mumbled.

And so the group took turns calling out for Stu, but to no avail.

"Do you KNOW what this means?" asked Tommy.

"Our dad is the first victim of the brain-sucking pioneers?" Dil replied. "AWESOME!"

"No, NOT awesome!" LJ remarked. "In fact, the opposite!"

"This is not good," Zofia shuddered. "This is not good at all."

"Definitely," LJ agreed. "I'm beginning to think this was a BAD idea!"

"I'm sorry that I doubted you guys before, BUT NOW, I'M DEFINITELY A BELIEVER!" Lil said.

"WHY ARE YOU YELLING?!" Chuckie asked her.

"Because the scared non-believers are always the first to go." Lil whispered in defense.

"Fair point." David nodded.

"Oh, to be young and ridiculously naive," Charlotte scoffed. "Stu felt guilty about bailing on chance, so he went back to the show!"

"Of course he did," Howard replied. "And we should do the same... NOW! Right, now!"

"If he DID go back, why didn't he say goodbye?" Phil asked.

"Maybe he didn't know how to say it in old English." Charlotte replied.

"I'm not leaving 'til we find my dad," remarked Tommy.

"Well, all right, I'll play along," Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Stu, where are you? If you're already a zombie, cough twice."

They didn't hear anything. Not a single sound.

"This is what we do," Tommy suggested. "We split into groups and search through the woods near the rock. We have to find him now before it's too late."

"Good idea." LJ replied.

"What happens if we're too late?" Theo asked Tommy.

"Don't got no brain or nuthin'." The boys recited, remembering what the old woman told them.

LJ and David shuddered at that. They soon went to keep going.

Martin and Jenny looked around as they came to join the others.

"Oh. Hey, guys," David greeted them. "I guess the play's over."

"Eh... I'm not sure about that, but I think I can wait a little bit for my big stage debut." Jenny said.

"Same here." Martin agreed.

"Well, welcome aboard, guys," Kimberly said. "Tommy and Dil's dad just went missing, but don't panic."

"We'll keep that in mind..." Martin nodded with a gulp.

"Smooth, Kim," Chrissy mumbled. "I'd expect that from your cat friends."

"Look, girls, we're just nervous, alright?" LJ asked. "Let's try not to take it out on each other."

"Just stick together and everything will be fine." Zoey added.

"All right." Chrissy and Kimberly replied.

"Good then..." LJ nodded.

"Sorry about them." Zofia said to Zoey.

"It's okay," Zoey replied. "I guess that's just how people are sometimes. Even best friends."

"Don't I know it..." sighed LJ.

"Stu..." Charlotte called out for her brother-in-law. "Oh, Stu..."

"Don't wear yourself out, Mrs. Pickles." Akito scoffed to the blonde woman.

"What? I have to stay by the big bad rock in case he gets drawn to it," Charlotte defended until she then heard something. "Did you hear that?"

Tommy began to say something, but the blonde woman shushed him. 

"I know that sound....running water!" she exclaimed. "Underground hot springs, come to momma!" she ran into the cavern.

Dil shook his head in dismay. "She's a goner."

"And you all know what comes next." Chuckie whimpered.

"Don't ever got no brains or nuthin'." The others memorized.

"Charlotte, I order you to stay with the group-eth!" Howard called out as he ran after the blonde woman.

"DAAAAD!" Phil and Lil cried out.

"And it got worse." Gaz groaned to herself.

"That's three adults down..." Theo gulped.

"Oh, it's all right, sweetheart, I'm right here." Colleen soothed, hugging Theo good and tight.

Theo let out a sigh of relief, patting his mom on the back.

"It's okay... It's okay." Colleen soothed.

"Thanks, Mom." Theo said softly.

Chuckie began to panic as he shook Tommy. "No...they're picking us off like flies! Those pioneers are gonna get us all, Tommy! They're gonna get us all!!" he exclaimed in terror.

"Don't go hysterical on us, guys!" Tommy told Chuckie. "If we start to panic, it's gonna get bad!"

"Little late for that..." LJ sighed.

"Now, now, I'm sure we can find a way out of this sticky situation." Akito said.

The kids headed further into the woods....until they heard a rustling sound. Chuckie screamed in terror, only to see that it was just a fawn, hopping out of the bushes and walking away.

"Poor deer." Zofia pouted.

"You were right, Bro," Dil said to Bean as Chuckie and Chrissy climbed up a tree out of fear. "That rock has a hold on us."

"Oh, no, the big scary rock is gonna make us all go crazy!" Eddy mock-whimpered. "Puh-lease."

LJ rolled his eyes. "Believe what you want, Eddy, but we are in genuinely serious danger here."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Eddy said. "I suppose I could believe ya like the time my brother told me cartoons weren't real."

"Say it ain't so, Eddy, say it ain't so!" Ed gasped from that.

"If cartoons weren't real, how would you explain all the crazy stuff you guys do, and the fact that it hasn't killed you three yet, whereas it would kill any real person?" David asked.

Eddy just rolled his eyes in strong disbelief.

"Ugh... Never mind him!" Zofia complained. "He's just stubborn as a mule."

"Nah, I've met mules that aren't as pig-headed." LJ remarked as they went on.

Eddy just scoffed to them as they went along.

"I know we're in the middle of a crisis here, possibly on our way to zombification, but it is important to know that climbing is a skill!" Tommy told his best friend. "A talent!" 

"Yes, it is," Chuckie smiled. "But not that impressive when you take into account that I was running from a deer!" he then began to climb down the tree, but on the way down, he snagged a small book lodged within the tree trunk, before he slipped and fell down into a bush.

"Ooh! That's gotta hurt." Zofia winced for poor Chuckie.

"You can come down, Chrissy, it'll be okay." LJ told the blonde girl.

"Besides, LJ'll catch you!" David added.

"Okay... I'm coming down." Chrissy said before she took a deep breath and soon jumped out, falling backwards dramatically into LJ's arms.

"There! See?" LJ blushed.

"Not bad," Chrissy smiled to him. "Guess I'm not much of a tree hugger."

"Eh, it doesn't suit you." LJ replied.

"Thank you though." Chrissy said once she stood up straight.

"It was no problem, really!" LJ beamed as he put her down gently.

"Hey, it looks like Chuckie found something." Theo pointed out.

"It's a journal!" Lil realized.

"No, nothing broken," Chuckie mumbled. "Thank you for asking."

"Concern, and lack thereof, noted." David remarked.

"Property of Deborah May Lou, surviving member of the Everwood's settlers: 1872." Lil soon read aloud, skimming through the journal pages.

The kids all gasped at that.

"An Everwood pioneer diary...!" gulped LJ and David.

Bean seemed to have a mysterious look on his face.

They soon went to go somewhere and sit down to discuss the journal.

"'Winter is upon us and I fear the worst for those lost'," Lil began to read aloud from the old book with a flashlight, and everyone else listened to the journal entry. "'Today the physician/barber was declared missing, the third to go. His disappearance remains a mystery and with our brains half frozen, it's become too complex for us to solve'."

LJ and David took turns biting their fingernails as the group continued to listen.

"The first brain freeze." Phil noticed.

"'I wave to him as he fetched the water from the old old oak tree by the man-faced rock he will be deeply missed, no not necessarily fair accordion playing'," Lil then continued to read which made Chuckie flinch slightly. "'And I regret this is my last entry, my fingers are fro--'."

"What's fro?" Phil asked.

"Fro-ZEN!" Lil told her twin brother.

LJ gulped. "So those pioneers turned into human ice cubes and froze to death..."

"And we're gonna be next!!!" David yelped in terror.

Chuckie soon stood up and walked off.

"Uh, where are you going?" Zofia asked the redheaded boy.

"Don't you notice the similarity of disappearances?" Chuckie replied. "All three settlers went missing after getting water from the oak tree by that rock."

"Yeah, well, that rock is bad news." Tommy remarked.

"Face it: we're all gonna fro." Phil replied.

"Though there MIGHT be a logical explanation for all this," suggested Chuckie.

"I don't think this is such a good idea," stated Phil. "I've seen enough scary movies to know we're walking into the belly of the beast!"

"At least let me come with you." Akito told Chuckie.

"Yeah, Phil's right!" Tommy added as he took out his video camera. "Which means I can't stop taping now!"

And so, the kids continued walking even further in.

"What's the matter, Tommy?" Lil asked.

"Do you realize three people are missing, and I'm still shooting my movie?" Tommy replied. "My DAD disappears and I'm only worried about getting enough coverage!"

"About time you started focusing on the important stuff," LJ replied. "I might be scared outta my wits, but even I don't let it keep my mind off priority 1. Heck, shaking hands...er, hooves, with Grunkle Sombra is starting to seem less scary in comparison!"

"What is wrong with me?!" Tommy cried out.

"You care more about a movie than the lives of your friends and family?" Phil suggested.

"PHILLIP!" Lil glared at her twin brother. 

"He's right," Tommy frowned. "I risked our lives because I'm obsessed! And if I'm like this as a kid, imagine what I'm like when I'm old! I'll be trading my mother for a mini TV with an instant replay feature!"

"Blame it on the rock, bro," remarked Dil. "Worked for me."

"No," refused Tommy as he handed Chuckie the camcorder. "This is MY deal. Chuckie, I want you to take Roman...and destroy 'im."

"Um, Tommy? You're still recording." Chuckie pointed out.

"SEE WHAT I MEAN?!" Tommy groaned. "I'm out of control! Smash it! Smash it to smithereens!"

Chuckie shrugged and was about to smash it.

"WAIT!!" Lil stopped him. "If we never come back, this'll be the only record of what happened to us. You HAVE to keep shooting, Tommy!"

Tommy soon looked to Akito and Estelle for some advice.

"I don't know about never coming back, but maybe it would be a good idea." Estelle replied.

LJ gulped. "Might as well. If we go out, make sure that people know what happened in our final...moments..." he sniffled.

Kimberly gave him a small pat on his shoulder before smiling with him.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come down to all of this." Zoey sighed to herself.

"If we go, then we all go together, I suppose." Martin sighed.

"That was what I was told, especially with Mew Mew Power." Zoey replied.

"Oh, you mean the Sailor Moon rip-off?" Eddy rolled his eyes.

Double D took out a paper fan and smacked him over the head. "Eddy, stop being rude! Now is hardly the time for such behavior!" he chastised.

"Hey! Don't hit me!" Eddy glared at him.

"Not like you don't deserve it," LJ muttered. "Now let's get moving."

They soon went back on the trail as Double D tutted to Eddy. Akito soon brought out his Rapidash to give them some extra light since it was pretty dark out.

"What are we supposed to be looking for?" Phil asked.

"I'm not sure!" Chuckie replied.

Something under the leaves appeared to be following them.

"RUN!!!" Chuckie yelped and zipped off.

Zofia and Gaz knelt by the leaves and shook them off only to reveal a turtle.

"Shelby!" Phil beamed and picked up the turtle.

LJ rolled his eyes. "As if we didn't have enough trouble..."

Shelby soon bit on Phil's thumb which made him yelp out in slight pain.

"Reunited and it feels so good," Jenny deadpanned. "At least Aunt Lu's turtle doesn't bite anyone."

"Yeah," Martin agreed. "Just the ones he didn't like. I guess Raul is still watching the play."

"I'm here." Raul's voice said.

The twins soon stopped and saw their cousin.

"Can't... Run as... Fast as you guys..." Raul panted slightly.

"Oh. Well....cool!" Martin shrugged.

Raul soon stopped to catch his breath and soon flexed his arms, taking a deep breath to look brave and macho.

"Oh, brother." Jenny mumbled to that.

"What?" Martin asked.

"No, not you." Jenny face-palmed.

"Hey, I gotta look good for any girls who might need my help," Raul smirked before looking to Zoey. "Like Cat Girl over there."

"I think she'll be fine," LJ remarked. "Might be Eddy that needs yer help! Now let's get moving."

"All right, all right." Raul said as he stopped himself and followed his cousins.

"Be careful, Chuckie!" Lil advised as Chuckie climbed up a fallen tree...and suddenly vanished. "CHUCKIE!!!"

"How did that happen?!" Tommy asked.

"This is unreal..." Akito mumbled to himself in shock.

"Now Chuckie's missing!" Estelle cried out.

"I didn't go missing!" Chuckie called back.

"Chuckie?" Lil asked.

"Still not missing!" Chuckie replied.

LJ sighed in relief. "Oh, that's great. So like, are you alright?" he asked.

The others checked to see that Chuckie was hanging onto a branch.

"Whoa." Tommy was surprised.

"If I let go, will I go into a black hole, or a worm hole, or a pile of snakes?" Chuckie wondered.

"No, no, not sure about the last one." Akito told the cowardly boy.

As Tommy reached down to him, the branch snapped, and Chuckie fell, disappearing into the inky blackness.

"Chuckie!" Akito and Estelle cried out.

"I should go after him." Akito suggested.

"Good idea," replied LJ. "Here's hoping you don't die."

"Ah, I should be fine," Akito replied. "I'll see you guys on the other side."

Estelle hugged her twin brother and he hugged back before diving after Chuckie with his flight.

"You find anything?" LJ called.

"Hey, guys! There's a tunnel!" Akito called back.

"So....come down?" LJ asked.

"Might be a good idea!" Akito suggested.

"What'd he say?" asked Phil.

"I think he said all at once." replied Lil, as everyone piled into the hole.

Some of them landed on top of each other in a cartoony sort of way.

"I can't believe I'm here!" Dil beamed. "An actual alien lab transport system!"

"Guess again," LJ replied. "It's an abandoned mineshaft."

"Probably used to hold gold during the Gold Rush," Chuckie added as he looked around with a guess. "There may be hundreds of ways, in this tunnel, makes me think that those who went missing probably fell into one of them."

"That might explain some of the deaths..." Theo noted.

"Oh, yeah, right!" Dil replied. "And the brain-sucking pioneers had nothing to do with it."

"Forget it..." LJ groaned. "Let's just get moving."

The tone suddenly got dramatic and serious as they explored the mine shaft. Tommy looked around and filmed around the mine until he ran into Bean as he turned to face the others and his eyes looked different.

"Is fire engine red a natural eye color?" Phil asked.

"Funny... I thought his eyes were blue..." Lil replied.

LJ went pale at that. "....What ARE you....?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it..." Bean said to him. "Let's get going, shall we?"

LJ gulped. "....Of course..." he replied.

Bean nodded as he walked along with them.

"Do you think we might be a supernatural being?" Akito whispered to the others.

"Yep." LJ replied.

"Hmm... I'll have to look this up eventually..." Akito said suspiciously.

"You do that..." LJ shuddered.

"No offense, Dil, but there's something strange about that guy." Tommy said about Bean.

"I know," Dil replied. "Isn't it great?"

"The dude is some kinda ghost, man..." LJ shuddered.

A rat squeaked as it passed the top of a stand with chains.

"It's getting really cold." Lil shivered.

"You know what that means," Dil told her. "It starts with a GH and ends with an Ost."

"How long before we can turn around?" Phil asked.

"I just hope we'll be able to find our way out when we do." replied Tommy.

"Oh, we will, I marked all the ways," Chuckie smiled. "It's an old miner's track."

"Is that a bunny?" Zofia asked as she took a look at the wall beside Chuckie.

"Methinks he's marking the walls so we can find our way out..." LJ replied.

"Precisely!" Chuckie smiled. 

The others still looked at him for drawing bunnies.

"It's the only thing I know how to draw." Chuckie defended.

"Well, at least it's recognizable." Theo replied.

They soon walked off together, looking all around the mine before stopping briefly and looking around.

"I just heard people talking!" Chuckie gasped.

"We're either running out of air, or there are ghosts down here." David remarked.

"Or zombies." Dil replied.

"Or zombies." Chuckie agreed.

"We gotta check it out." Tommy suggested.

"If you say so..." LJ sighed.

Akito and Estelle held out their training wands for just in case.

"What are those?" LJ asked.

"Our wands from magic class." Estelle replied.

"Oh..." LJ blinked.

"They're a good source of light, and for just in case we run into strange characters," Akito said to LJ. "We've seen a lot in school like our parents did before us, and we thought we'd help you guys out a bit with the use of our magic."

"Well...thanks..." LJ replied as they went further into the cave.

"No problem." Akito and Estelle smiled in unison.

Tommy was making his final wish in case he didn't make it out alive.

"Bye, Mom...Grandpa...I'd include Dad, but he may already be a zombie. In which case, never mind." Tommy replied.

"Also...Chip, take care of Felicity. Honey Potts? Remember your uncle as the good man he was in life," LJ added. "And don't forget your Aunt Zofia either. Live for the ones that you love."

"Oh, LJ..." Kimberly whispered tenderly from that.

"Also, say hi to Kimberly and Chrissy, since this might be the only time you get to see them." LJ advised, holding the camcorder towards them.

Kimberly gave a small smile and a wave.

"I don't wanna be a zombie!" Chrissy cried out.

"Hey, at least we get to be zombies together," sighed LJ. "But...remember: no matter what, we at least went down doing something good."

"We did?" Gaz asked him.

"Yeah! Trying to save three people, remember?" LJ asked as he hugged Chrissy and Kimberly, then kissed them both.

Chrissy and Kimberly blinked before blushing with smiles to him.

"How does that kid get two girls?" Eddy complained.

"I guess he's just appealing enough to both of them..." Double D suggested.

Eddy grumbled to himself a bit in jealousy. Akito soon rolled up his sleeves and came to handle the mine cart that the others struggled with moving.

"I hope we can make it..." Theo grunted.

"I'll handle this, guys," Akito smirked. "I'm strong like my old man."

"Believe me, we know." LJ replied.

Akito soon moved the mine cart with no struggle due to his strength.


	7. Chapter 7

There appeared to be skeletons in old-fashioned clothes playing cards together. Not too far away, there were Howard, Stu, and Charlotte doing the same thing.

"Oh! Thank goodness!" Colleen gasped to the other adults in relief.

"They're alive! Sweet!" LJ whooped.

"Heh. I knew it all along." Eddy smirked to himself.

"I don't believe that for a minute, Eddy!" Ed remarked.

Eddy had a deadpan look on his face while some of the others chuckled to him.

"KIDS!" Stu called out.

"Dad!" Tommy and Dil called back.

"Stu?!" Phil and Lil added.

"Everyone!" David exclaimed.

Bean seemed to hide a smile as he backed up a bit as the others reunited with their missing parents.

LJ looked back at him in surprise. "Huh...?"

Bean's eyes seemed to glow white as he backed up away from the group.

"Hey, it looks like one of you guys dropped something," Gaz said before bending down to find a photograph which made her golden eyes widen. "No... Way..."

"What is it?" asked David.

LJ glanced at Bean as he walked off. "H-Hey....Bean, right?" he asked.

Bean walked off until he suddenly stopped and looked over to LJ.

"I just wanted to say....thank you." LJ replied nervously.

"Ah, well, you're welcome." Bean replied.

"And....I'm sorry I was briefly jealous of you," LJ added. "You really are a good friend."

"Well... Thank you," Bean replied. "I try my best to look after those in need... As I've been doing ever since my very first visit to Camp Everwood."

"First? I guess they were right...you ARE a ghost..." LJ remarked.

"You're a smart kid," Bean smirked softly. "I knew I could trust you, though Dil's the best friend I ever could've had. Those Lil and Kimi girls were kinda cute too."

"Thanks," LJ replied. "Maybe we'll see you again someday."

"Heh... Maybe," Bean replied. "That would be interesting. You guys make it home safe now."

"We'll try." LJ replied.

"Farewell for now..." Bean said mysteriously before he soon left.

The others looked to the photograph with Dil which had one camper who looked a lot like the Bean they knew right now. David turned pale, and collapsed.

"Davey!" Zofia gasped for her brother before kneeling beside him. "Oh, David, you okay?"

"Uh....sis...that you...?" he asked drowsily.

"David, you okay?" Zofia asked. "I think you just fainted."

"Sure feels like it..." David replied.

"It's okay, David, it's okay..." Zofia comforted.

Zoey soon knelt over to David with a small and friendly smile.

David sighed. "Guess it was just shock from realizing that he was a ghost the whole time..."

"Guess I can't blame you for that one," Zoey said to David. "Must be startling to see a real ghost up close."

"I'm sure," Zofia said. "I've always wanted to meet a ghost myself. Uh, David, you want some water or something?"

"Yeah..." David replied. "I am kinda parched from walking around down here."

"Here." Zoey said as she took out a water bottle for him.

David took it and chugged it down with a wheezy gasp. Zoey smiled to him since he was feeling better now.

"Now that the mystery's solved, the brain-sucking pioneers can finally rest in peace." Dil smiled proudly.

"Hopefully..." LJ replied.

"I think we should get out of here now," Akito said. "Everyone, follow the bunnies!"

Everyone then followed the cowardly boy.

"Charlotte, you're gonna have to pick up the pace or we'll miss the whole show." Stu told his sister-in-law.

"Tough toenails!" Charlotte huffed. "Literally... I refused to wear those hideous pioneer boots, and now I'm paying for it."

"Yup." Kimberly replied.

"With everyone safe, I gotta say, MY HORROR MOVIE IS GENIUS!" Tommy beamed. "I got real life skeletons on tape, and a ghost! Wait, do those show up on video?"

"Seriously, how many people can say that their new friend is a ghost?" Dil asked.

"Definitely." Martin agreed.

"Dunno," Phil said as he took off his hat as his snapping turtle friend was biting at his hair. "Six, seven tops?"

"Let's just get outta here." LJ replied.

The horse-covered wagon was soon coming back like how Tommy saw it the other night. 

"Get back here, you good for nuthin' horse!" Ellie chased after the horse.

"Oh, I don't know, Ellie," Charlotte smirked. "I think that horse just might be good for something."

"Let's get on board!" LJ whooped.

Back at the play...

The audience was getting very bored and some were falling asleep. Drell seemed to be the most asleep as he was snoring and drooling. Dib, GIFfany, and Kevin were still there; Dib and GIFfany were sitting together.

"Snoresville!" Kevin complained.

GIFfany seemed to have fun just by being there with Dib.

"I like hanging out with you." Dib remarked.

"I like being with you." GIFfany smiled to Dib. 

Dib inhaled...and then kissed her on the cheek. GIFfany's eyes widened before she seemed to giggle from the kiss.

"Dork." Kevin scoffed to Dib. 

Dib rolled his eyes. "At least I don't have to make myself feel better by making fun of others."

Kevin just glared at Dib.

"Don't worry about him, he's just jealous." GIFfany comforted Dib. 

"Definitely." replied Dib.

Kevin looked annoyed.

"Hmm... That girl looks familiar..." Cherry said as she looked at GIFfany. 

"Didn't we already say that?" Lionel asked.

"It's still getting to me." Cherry clarified. 

"Fair enough..." Lionel shrugged.

"Them underground hot springs sure was a good... Find." Drew said.

"If only our friends were here to see it." Chance said as he gave a thumb's up.

Soon enough, the horse covered wagon appeared as Charlotte drove it which actually looked pretty cool and amazing compared to the rest of the show.

"Oh, look, the missing settlers are back." Chance smiled.

"That's right....and we have SHOCKING NEWS!!!" Martin exclaimed, pulling Jenny out with him.

Everyone got off the wagon and the audience clapped and cheered.

"Dad! Wake up! The show just got cool!" Ambrose shook his father, trying to wake him up. 

"Huh? Eh, what?" asked Drell before turning to Lionel and Cherry.

"Don't ask us, we went for a...walk in the woods..." Lionel smirked.

"Um, yeah." Cherry added.

"Is that right?" Drell asked them, a little groggily. 

Lionel shot a smirk at Cherry. "Oh, yeah. You could say we did some...explorations... of our own..."

"Ah, I did the same in my time with Hilda..." Drell smirked himself before gesturing to his son. "And look at where it got me."

"I'd rather not." Cherry mumbled to him. 

"Yes, I'm sure you made plenty of discoveries," explained Lionel. "I, for one, learned how sex works. Something I never learned in school!"

"So Cherry gave you some tutoring." Drell smirked.

"SIR!" Cherry gasped to him. 

"You could say that, yes." Lionel smirked back.

"Oh, please, you think you can hide stuff from me?" Drell replied. "You said so yourself, Cherry. I'm always watching."

Cherry let out a small aggravated groan.

"When we went to look for food and water, We fell-eth in a old mine shaft, then winter came, Oooohhh... A harsh winter, she was, We got trapped underground, Entertaining ourselves by playing cards and it was so cold our fingers fro, and we complain~" Howard sang in a very agonizing sort of way. 

"Please don't always watch," Lionel replied. "You might see something you won't like."

"But how will I know what you're doing when I need you?" Drell smirked as he soon grabbed a hold of Cherry.

"You get your hands off of me before I turn you into my slave." Cherry threatened as her eyes flashed red. 

"And here I thought that position was filled..." Lionel smirked.

Drell soon let go of Cherry, patting her on the head.

"Quit that!" Cherry complained before smirking back towards Lionel. 

"Not that I'm complaining; I love having that position...among others." Lionel chuckled.

"I guess you two are a bit cute together," Drell said to them. "I'm not one to get sentimental though." 

"No kidding," Lionel replied. "When I got nervous about losing my powers, you did nothing to help me or console me. Instead, YOU JUST MADE IT WORSE! I WAS WORRIED ABOUT LOSING THE ONE THING THAT MADE ME WORTHWHILE, AND YOU JUST SAT AND MADE THINGS WORSE!!!"

"...You wanna know why I do that to you guys whenever you feel like all hope is lost and I seem to make it worse?" Drell soon asked them.

"Because you're a sadist?" Cherry guessed.

"Because I'm trying to motivate you to try stronger and harder." Drell explained. 

"I got your motivation," Lionel snapped. "At least FIVE FINGERS' WORTH RIGHT HERE!!!"

"There it is." Drell smirked, unfazed by that. 

"You've had this coming for a good, long while!" Lionel replied as he wound up his fist, drew back, and--turning his fist into an anvil--slammed Drell in the face, sending him flying six feet.

"...Did you really have to do that?" Cherry asked. "I know he's a pain and all, but... Without him, I probably wouldn't be here right now." 

"I've been holding that in for eight years now," replied Lionel. "It was gonna come out one way or another. Besides, 1. He had it coming, and 2., he'll be fine."

"Eh, fair enough," Cherry smirked. "I just hope Hilda doesn't explode." 

"Over what? If anything, that punch should have been the equivalent of a tiny scrape for him." Lionel replied.

Drell soon came back and the only thing that seemed to be broken were his glasses, though his hair looked a bit wilder than usual.

"Uh, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Cherry grinned bashfully, batting her eyelashes. 

"I'll try to tone it down in the future." Drell said to Lionel. 

"Sound advice." Lionel smiled casually.

"Sorry... It's just how I was raised." Drell defended about his behavior. 

"Nurture vs. Nature." Lionel shrugged.

"Anyway, I'm sorry," Drell said before he took off his glasses and brought out his wand to fix them. "I'll make it up to you at some point." 

"Alright." Lionel replied.

"Oculus... Repairo..." Drell mumbled and soon fixed his glasses with a smile, putting them on. "Ah, much better." 

"Nice." Lionel said.

"Wait, that's a real spell?!" Cherry asked.

"Are you forgetting your friend Cathleen's mother is Luna Lovegood?" Drell smirked smugly.

"...Shup." Cherry mumbled. 

"Fair enough." shrugged Lionel.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the play as the adventure drew to a close.

Once more, Leo Quad spent another night looking out over the city. "Another mission accomplished..." he sighed.

"You look like you could you use some company." The girl from before said to him. 

"It would be nice." Leo remarked.

"I see you like to live... Dangerously." Nyancy chuckled as she came to join him. 

"Yep." Leo replied.

"So do I sometimes." Nyancy smirked, flashing him a wink of her eye. 

Leo blushed at that. Nyancy took his hand as they sat together. 

Leo smiled. "This is nice..."

As the both of them sat together, they didn't notice another girl who looked similar to Chrissy, except she wore a purple dress with a pink ribbon around her waist and a black crown on her head. In addition to that, she wore black fingerless gloves. At the top of her dress, she had a cerise pink gem with a golden border, and she also wore long dark purple tights. She wore her long blonde hair laid out that extended to her thighs, orchid eyes, and very dark purple lipstick.

"Yes... This must be what it's like to be in love." Nyancy smiled back to Leo. 

Leo smiled. "I guess you're right on that." he replied.

"Ahem..." The girl soon said, making them face her. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." 

Leo coughed sheepishly. "No...not at all!" he replied.

"And what might they call you?" Nyancy asked.

"Oh, some could call me 'Charmcaster'." The girl replied, a bit mysteriously.

"Hmm....cool name," Leo replied. "They call me Leo Quad, Martial-Arts Action Hero!"

"Leo Quad... I think your name is even cooler." Charmcaster smirked to him.

Leo blushed at that. "Aw, geez, it's nuthin' special, unlike yours!" he grinned sheepishly.

Charmcaster soon sat on his opposite side as Nyancy sat on the other side. "So, what's your story?" she soon asked him.

"Well, I'm just a man who loves his city and kicks bad guy butt to keep it out of danger." Leo explained.

"That sounds thrilling," Charmcaster smirked. "I guess you could call me a woman of mystery and magic."

"Ooh, thrilling!" Leo remarked.

"Thank you." Charmcaster beamed.

"Perhaps we can all help each other." Nyancy suggested.

"Hey, good idea!" Leo remarked.

Nyancy and Charmcaster chuckled.

"Wake up, deeeear~" Cherry's voice rang to her older son.

"Not now, I'm in the middle of a really good dream...." LJ grunted.

"Well, wake up soon," Cherry's voice replied. "Your friend Tommy wants you and some of the others to watch his movie and have a sleepover."

"Mm....fine..." LJ shrugged. "Just a couple more minutes. I wanna see where this goes."

Cherry soon walked off, leaving him to sleep.

"Moms." Nyancy and Charmcaster giggled.

"Who can figure them?" Leo shrugged.

"Yeah..." Charmcaster replied. "They are mysterious creatures."

"Maybe they should go to Mars like in this book." Nyancy said, taking a book called 'Mars Needs Moms'.

"Nah," Leo replied. "She might be a confusing person, but I care heaps about her."

"That's really admirable of you," Nyancy smiled. "I'm very close with my mother too, especially when it comes to gardening."

"Aw, that's sweet." Leo replied.

Charmcaster gave a small smile to Leo and Nyancy, though didn't say anything.

"It's like someone I once knew used to say," smiled Leo. "A one-woman man's what I wanna be, but there's two perfect girls for me."

"Two Girls for Every Boy~" A random voice sang which made them all look to each other.

Leo shrugged. "I just like you both."

Nyancy and Charmcaster soon both gave him warm hugs with smiles on their faces. Leo blushed at that. They both soon kissed both of his cheeks.

Leo giggled sheepishly at that. "So...what's next?"

"Well, I guess you could wake up." Nyancy purred.

"Ohh....fine," Leo sighed. "And I really like it here, too."

"Maybe if you're really good, you could dream about us again." Charmcaster whispered into his ear.

Leo blushed. "I'll try my best..." he nodded.

The girls giggled to him as they had fun while they could before he would leave.

And eventually, LJ woke up, and noticed his pants felt a bit tighter than they had before. "Looks like that dream was better than I thought!" he put his hands to his temples and concentrated, and his pants became less tight. "There we go." His phone soon went off.

"You up?" Zofia asked as she was lying down on her bed with the TV on in the background and she held her phone in her hands.

"I am now...." LJ replied. "Are you seriously back on your phone?"

"I just wanted to check on you," Zofia replied. "You were kinda quiet on the way home."

"Eh...I was just thinking about Bean, is all." LJ replied.

"Whether we'll see him again or not?" Zofia asked. "Yeah... I feel the same way about Zoey... Maybe we'll run into her and her Mew Mew Power friends sometime."

"That might be fun." LJ remarked.

"Zofia...? Are you online?" Cherry's voice called.

"Gotta go." Zofia said, putting her phone away nervously.

"Okay..." LJ replied as he got out of bed.


	8. Chapter 8

Cherry was making snacks for the kids to have with their movie night at the Pickles' house. Lionel was getting ready to go as well.

"That Tommy kid sure is a movie buff," Cherry said. "I wonder what inspired him?"

"Who knows?" Lionel shrugged.

"Okay, the pizza bagels should be coming out of the oven in a bit, I think those are good snacks for the sleepover." Cherry said as she arranged treats for the kids.

"Most excellent idea!" Lionel replied.

"Also, I got some news for Colleen McNulty..." Cherry said. "I'm surprised this happened again after all these years."

"Whaddya mean?" asked Lionel.

"She's expecting another kid..." Cherry said. "She says this time it's going to be a girl."

"Oh...that's AWESOME news!" Lionel exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's why she's been at the doctor's a lot." Cherry chuckled.

"I see..." Lionel nodded.

LJ, Zofia, and David soon came out once they were out of their rooms with their backpacks and suitcases for the sleepover at Tommy and Dil's house.

"Alright...let's get this show on the road!" LJ remarked.

"Your snacks are about ready," Cherry informed. "You kids have fun."

"We will, Mom." David replied.

Cherry soon hugged all of them, good and tight. And the kids hugged her back.

"I try my best to be a great mother like mine was," Cherry said. "Though I can't say I'm a Mrs. Brady."

"Thank God for that." Lionel replied.

"Too much?" Cherry asked about her being a mother like Carol Brady.

"Hey, of course not," Lionel replied. "At least you and the rest of us aren't convinced that it's still the 70's even at the point it's still the 90's!"

"Do you mean the movies now?" Cherry then smirked.

"Yep." Lionel replied.

Cherry gave a light chuckle to that, handing the kids their snacks for the sleepover.

"Alright, let's go." LJ replied.

The Schwartz siblings soon went to go off as their parents came to drive them to the Pickles' house. They got into the car and drove off.

"This is gonna be amazing." Zofia smiled.

"Yup," David replied. "Only a lucky few get to have a supernatural encounter and live to record it."

"I've always been fascinated by supernatural worlds..." Cherry smiled. "Dragons.. Witches... Vampires..."

"Same here!" Lionel replied. "Like when I took you to the Hotel Transylvania!"

"Oh, wasn't that your honeymoon?" Zofia smiled to her parents.

"Yup! At least it was the first time!" Lionel replied. "Then when Felicity was 9, you were 7 and LJ was 6, we went back a second time. Maybe next year, we make it a third?"

Zofia looked to her brothers.

"Mm... I'm up for that." David smiled.

"Yeah, me too!" LJ added.

"Sounds good," Cherry replied. "We'll get going sometime really soon."

"Okay!" The kids cheered as they arrived.

Cherry gave a small smile to the kids' excitement as they soon made it to the Pickles' house.

"It's show time!" LJ whooped.

The Schwartz siblings soon came out of the car and were invited inside to watch Tommy's movie as he was setting everything up in the living room.

"Hey, dude." LJ waved. "We're here!"

"Oh, cool!" Tommy smiled. "I'm really excited about this, guys. Thanks so much for coming."

"No problem!" David replied. "We wouldn't have missed it!"

Tommy smiled to them while setting up everything for his little movie premiere. The kids also pitched in to help him out. Snacks and drinks were laid out and the furniture was moved a bit. Dib and Gaz were seen getting ready at home with the help of their new friend.

"Remember, kids, never cook rocks." Professor Membrane said on a computer screen as he was away at work. 

"Sure, Dad," Gaz said. "Hey, GIFfany, make sure you share that pizza once we get some."

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to share it!" GIFfany replied.

"For your own safety, it's important you share pizza with Gaz." Dib said to her.

"Got it." GIFfany replied.

Gaz nodded to that.

"Have fun, kids! I gotta work late in the lab." Professor Membrane told Dib and Gaz.

"So...same as usual," Dib shrugged. "No surprises there."

Eventually, everyone else came to join for Movie Night at the Pickles' house.

"This is gonna be sweet!" Zofia beamed.

"Is everyone here?" Tommy asked until the doorbell rang.

GIFfany soon came in with the Membrane siblings. 

"Hey, guys." Dib waved.

"Hey." Gaz added.

"Come on in, we're almost ready." Tommy told them. 

"Sure." .GIFfany replied as she and the others entered.

"Oh, does Dib have a new friend?" Didi asked once she saw GIFfany. 

"Yep," Dib smiled. "This is GIFfany. Met her over Thanksgiving break."

"I see, well, hello there, GIFfany... That's an interesting name and hair color you have." Didi said to the girl.

"Thank you, ma'am." GIFfany smiled. 

"Nice to be here," Gaz replied. "It's like actually having a mom."

"Oh, you're sweet." Didi smiled before hugging Gaz.

Gaz blinked from the hug, but she seemed to form a small smile of her own. Dib smiled as they got onto the couch and put out their sleeping bags. Theo soon set down his pillow as he made arrangements for himself once he was seen in the living room. The other McNulty boys were sitting nearby.

"Can't believe Mom's gonna have another baby..." Theo sighed with a smile.

"I can," Timmy rolled his eyes. "Can't she control herself or something?" 

"It's not something she can control," Theo retorted. "It's unpredictable."

Timmy just rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, I'm excited about the new baby." Theo smiled.

"That's nice, Theo," Zofia said to him. "Ya know, I didn't think I'd like having a new brother or sister the first time, but I grew to love it." 

LJ blinked at that. "Thanks...I think."

"Sorry, LJ, nothing personal, but I was just afraid you'd steal Mother and Father away from me," Zofia said to her brother. "I was a little scared." 

"Irrational fear, I guess, but I'm only a year younger than you." LJ replied.

"And I love you very much... Look at your cute cheeks." Zofia teased, pinching his cheeks playfully. 

LJ blushed, sheepishly. "Yeah....love you too, Sis." he replied.

The adults 'awwed' between the two siblings before they separated.

It was soon getting pretty dark outside. Once everyone was there, Tommy turned on the camera and turned off the lights to start the movie. 

"So let's watch this movie!" LJ exclaimed.

Everyone soon cheered out of excitement to see Tommy's newest movie.

"Rrrrrrolll 'em!" LJ whooped.

It was a very fun movie so far based on the camping trip they had in Camp Everwood. 

"I wonder if we might see Bean again?" wondered LJ.

"I guess it's hard to say for right now." Theo said to his good friend. 

"Maybe...I did really like him," LJ replied. "He could be a great ally."

"Our dad had a ghost friend once," Akito smiled. "I believe he called himself Danny Phantom." 

"Oh, yeah, Dad told me about that huge Disasteroid incident," David replied. "He got to go that time."

"Sometimes I wish I could've been there myself." Akito smiled.

Soon enough, the movie ended and everyone clapped for Tommy.

"Better than Sundance!" Martin agreed.

"Hey, thanks, guys." Tommy smiled.

"It should be on the silver screen." Jenny smiled back. 

"Sorry that you didn't get to live out your dream of being a big stage star." Martin replied.

"Oh, it's okay," Jenny sighed. "Maybe I'll go to acting camp next summer." 

"And I'm coming with!" Martin replied. "We'll both make it big...even if it's without our friends."

Jenny smiled to the help from her brother, appreciating it very much. Suddenly, the lights went out and the video showed the creepy parts of the forest.

"Don't never got no brain or nuthin'." Bean glared as his eyes flashed red into the camera. 

Everyone then screamed in response to this.

"Yup...that Bean sure is something..." LJ replied.

"Definitely," David replied. "SCOOBY-DOOBY-DOO...!!"

The others looked over, almost feeling confused that David said that. 

"It was a callback to earlier, cuz I was doing the Scooby voice!" David explained.

"Ohh..." The others then said as that made sense now. 

"Yup," David and LJ nodded. "Still...that scene in the video felt oddly prophetic."

"Uh... Nice movie, Tommy." Gaz smiled bashfully. 

"Thanks..." Tommy replied.

"Yeah, what a good ending to a great film, and a grand adventure." GIFfany beamed. 

"No doubt about it, GIFfany." Dib replied. "Though I wonder what happened to those three kids and Zoey?"

"I have Zoey's number, so we can meet up in the future, those three boys though, I'm not sure." Zofia said. 

"Well...it ought to be fun," LJ shrugged. "Though it gave me an idea for a story..."

"What's that?" Zofia replied. 

"The Adventures of Leo Quad and the Legend Squad!" LJ explained. "Leo Quad, Nyancy Chan, Spellbinder, and the Ectoplasmic Kid!"

"That's a mouthful," Zofia giggled. "That does sound like fun though, LJ." 

"Thanks," LJ smiled. "And I'll get around to writing it sometime in-between adventures! Maybe I could put you guys in it, too!"

"You gonna write stories like your mom?" Dib asked.

"Well, it'll be a part-time sorta thing." replied LJ.

"Still sounds pretty cool." Dib replied.

"Thanks, I think so too." replied LJ.

"Have fun with that." Chrissy said to LJ as she put on her lipstick.

"I'll try my best," replied LJ. "But I won't let it interfere with spending time with my favorite people!"

A lot of the others 'awwed' to that before giving LJ a group hug. LJ beamed at that.

"Now that's friendship if ever I've seen any." Cherry remarked as she looked to that.

"Oh, definitely." agreed Lionel.

Cherry soon took out a cheese stick and soon ate it as the kids had fun with their sleepover. Lionel had one as well, as the both of them watched the scene play out. The friends seemed to have a lot of fun during their sleepover.

"The movie to start my career." Tommy smiled.

"Most definitely," LJ agreed. "Gonna be one to remember!"

"Thanks, guys," Tommy said. "Uh, sorry about your stage debut, Jenny."

"That's okay, Tommy," Jenny replied. "I still have a long way to go before I make it big."

"Like Eloise's friend Bill," Akito smiled. "He's a wonderful actor, especially whenever we visited the Plaza Hotel."

"So we've noticed." Martin replied.

"I'll be there someday," Jenny smiled. "You guys will see me sometime at the Oscars... Or that Cartoon Network special that was like the Oscars that one year that no one really talks about..."

"You mean they'll see both of us!" Martin replied.

"You mean it? You wanna help me?" Jenny smiled to her brother.

"I told you back at camp, and I meant it!" Martin replied.

"Aw, Marty!" Jenny smiled before hugging him thankfully.

Martin rolled his eyes with a smirk. Jenny giggled happily.

"Cartoon Network had an award show?" Zofia asked.

"The 1st 13th Annual Fancy Anvil Awards Show." Jenny replied.

"It only aired once." Martin added.

"Ah..." Zofia then said with a nod. "Well, good luck on making it to an award show someday, Jenny. We'll be rooting for you at home unless we're invited."

"You'll definitely be invited," replied Martin. "Promise!"

The group all smiled together as this was a happy ending, despite Bean's creepy moment in Tommy's movie. And there would most likely be more great adventures later on.

The End!


End file.
